Naomi Campbell has successfully overturned a five-year ban on serving as a charity trustee following a legal challenge related to financial mismanagement at her UK-based charity, Fashion For Relief. The ruling was issued by a three-judge tribunal in London, which found that Campbell had been deceived by a fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, who was primarily responsible for the charity’s mismanagement.

The ban, originally imposed in 2024 by the Charity Commission—the regulator for charities in England and Wales—came after an investigation into the administration of Fashion For Relief. The commission's inquiry revealed that only 8.5 percent of the charity’s expenditures were allocated to charitable grants. Additionally, it found that charity funds had been used for personal expenses, including Campbell’s stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, along with spa treatments, room service, and cigarettes.

Campbell, now 56, maintained that she was unaware of the misuse of funds and emphasized that she had never engaged in philanthropic activities for personal gain. The tribunal concluded that Hellmich had committed serious misconduct by forging documents and concealing financial mismanagement from Campbell and other professional advisers. While acknowledging that Campbell had some responsibility for delays in filing the charity’s accounts, the judges determined she was not involved in or aware of the worst abuses.

Bianka Hellmich was banned from trusteeship for nine years as a result of the findings. The ruling clarified that the most serious features of the charity’s mismanagement, including unauthorized payments and financial concealment, stemmed from Hellmich’s actions rather than Campbell’s.

Campbell expressed relief following the decision, saying the ban had caused her deep hurt but she was thankful for the judgment that recognized the truth of the matter. The Charity Commission noted that its original disqualification order had been made based on the evidence available at the time.

Fashion For Relief, which Campbell founded to raise money for humanitarian and environmental causes through fashion events, has since been dissolved. The case highlights ongoing challenges in charity governance, particularly the risks posed by inadequate oversight and trustee misconduct.