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Naomi Campbell's charity trustee ban is overturned after tribunal finds fellow trustee 'deceived' her with forged documents

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 2 October 2026.

Naomi Campbell, who a tribunal ruled was deceived by a fellow trustee who forged documents and impersonated her without her knowledge, exonerating her from a five-year charity ban.
Naomi Campbell, who a tribunal ruled was deceived by a fellow trustee who forged documents and impersonated her without her knowledge, exonerating her from a five-year charity ban.
Veronica Chou, who received a four-year ban over serious misconduct and mismanagement at Fashion For Relief, where only 8.5% of total expenditure went on actual charitable grants.
Veronica Chou, who received a four-year ban over serious misconduct and mismanagement at Fashion For Relief, where only 8.5% of total expenditure went on actual charitable grants.

A three-judge tribunal has cleared Naomi Campbell after finding she was "deceived" by fellow Fashion for Relief trustee Bianka Hellmich, who used forged documents to conceal the misuse of charity funds. The Charity Commission had banned the supermodel for five years in 2024 after finding serious mismanagement, including charity money spent on her five-star hotel stay in Cannes, spa treatments, room service and cigarettes. Campbell, 56, maintained throughout that she had no knowledge the spending was charged to the charity. The tribunal concluded all "failures in the management of the charity's finances" resulted from Hellmich's conduct, which was "concealed" from Campbell.

Campbell founded Fashion for Relief in 2005 to fight poverty, hosting fundraising events in Cannes and London.

The tribunal found Hellmich also deceived professional advisers and the Charity Commission itself, not just Campbell.

'Giving back has been part of who I am, so having that questioned hurt deeply,' Campbell said after the verdict.

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