Supermodel Naomi Campbell did not know that charity money may have been used to pay for luxuries such as a Cannes hotel stay and spa treatments, an appeal tribunal has heard.
In 2024, the 56-year-old was disqualified from being a charity trustee for five years after the Charity Commission – which regulates charities in England and Wales – found serious mismanagement of funds at Fashion For Relief, which she founded. This included using charity funds to pay for her stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, room service and cigarettes in 2018.
On Wednesday, Judge Joe Neville, who is on the central London panel which is hearing Miss Campbell’s legal challenge to try to overturn the charity ban, asked about her understanding of how payments were made.
Faisel Sadiq, for the Charity Commission, said: “As a general rule, Miss Campbell paid for her hotel stay and other expenses herself unless they were covered by a third party such as charity donor.
“Miss Campbell’s understanding about the costs of this particular event was that the cost of her hotel stay for the period of the event in Cannes was to be covered by her friend and charity donor Fernando Sulichin, and that, as was her usual practice, she would personally pay for the expenses she incurred during her stay including meals and spa treatments.
“As also was her usual practice, the expenses were paid by Miss Campbell’s travel agent.
“Ms Campbell does not know why the charity then reimbursed the agent for the personal expenses Miss Campbell incurred at the hotel.”
Andrew Westwood KC, for Campbell, stated this was her evidence and it had not been challenged when she gave evidence in court on Tuesday.
Campbell was one of three of the charity’s trustees to be disqualified as a result of the investigation, with Bianka Hellmich disqualified for nine years and Veronica Chou for four years.
During her evidence, Campbell said her “only mistake” was trusting Hellmich, who she alleges forged her signature and lied about her credentials as a charity lawyer.
On Wednesday, Victoria Granados, an assistant business manager for an entertainment company in New York, told the tribunal that “Naomi trusted her (Hellmich)”. Ms Granados said “I think she was involved with her personally” and may have helped with things like swimming lessons for Campbell’s children.
Hellmich appeared to have been paid in excess of £500,000 from charity funds from 2016 to 2021, according to claims previously made by Campbell’s legal team to the tribunal.
In written submissions on behalf of Campbell, Mr Westwood KC said: “Ms Hellmich held herself out as a lawyer with the expertise to handle the charity’s legal, regulatory and financial functions, and advised Ms Campbell that she could properly confine herself to a limited role assisting with the charity’s fundraising efforts and strategy – in effect, acting as a figurehead – while Ms Hellmich assumed responsibility for those regulatory and financial functions.”
He later said: “Ms Hellmich carried out a long-term and consistent scheme of mismanagement and deception in relation to the running of the charity, and she concealed the same from Ms Campbell and others.”
The forgery and fraud alleged against Hellmich has been referred to the police by Campbell’s team and by the Charity Commission, the tribunal has heard.
