Supermodel Naomi Campbell was focused on “controlling the media narrative” rather than “honesty and accuracy” when giving evidence during her appeal against her charity ban, a lawyer for the charity regulator has told a tribunal.
The 56-year-old was disqualified from being a charity trustee for five years in 2024 after the charity regulator 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.
Ms Campbell is appealing against the ban, and has claimed she was a victim of “deliberate deception” by another trustee, Bianka Hellmich.
But Faisel Sadiq, for watchdog the Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, said that while Ms Hellmich’s conduct is relevant, it is not “what we are engaging in”.
He told the hearing on Thursday that Ms Campbell had delegated “a whole raft of functions” to Ms Hellmich and did not supervise her in that, which was a “failure”.
He said: “At no point in her (Ms Campell’s) evidence, even when I pressed her on the extent to which she had failed the charity, was she willing to accept that she had in any way, shape or form failed the charity.”
Mr Sadiq told the panel: “I invite you to find that Ms Campbell was an entirely unreliable witness.”
He said it was difficult to get a straight answer from the supermodel during her evidence.
“I respectfully say that in giving her evidence, rather than focusing on honesty and accuracy, her focus was on controlling the media narrative,” Mr Sadiq said.
He said the supermodel was not “actively dishonest” but had “said a number of things that simply were not true”.
He added that the commission is not seeking to disqualify Ms Campbell from making donations to charity.
“All we are asking to do is to stop her having a role that we say she has demonstrated time and again, in her evidence, she is fundamentally unfit and unsuitable to do,” Mr Sadiq said.
Ms Hellmich was banned from being a charity trustee for nine years as a result of the watchdog investigation, while fellow trustee Veronica Chou was disqualified for four years.
The supermodel alleges Ms Hellmich lied about her credentials as a charity lawyer and forged Ms Campbell’s signature.
Earlier, Andrew Westwood KC, for Ms Campbell, said in his closing submissions: “It is now clear that Ms Campbell’s trust and reliance upon Ms Hellmich was a mistake, but it was an honest one.
“Ms Campbell acted in good faith and derived no personal benefit.”
Mr Westwood argued Ms Campbell “had legitimate reason to believe” Ms Hellmich “possessed the necessary expertise, skill and prudence to manage the financial, legal and regulatory aspects of the charity”.
In written submissions, Mr Sadiq said: “The misconduct and/or mismanagement arose as a consequence of Ms Campbell having completely abdicated or neglected all of her duties to the charity.”
Mr Westwood said: “Ms Campbell’s case is that this is not fair or accurate.”
He cited Ms Campbell’s evidence to the hearing on Tuesday, when she said she worked very hard for the charity, which was registered in the UK in 2015 and closed in 2024, travelling all over the world and having regular meetings in her role as a trustee.
“These are not the actions of someone who has ‘totally abdicated responsibility’,” Mr Westwood said.
He said Ms Campbell has always insisted she would have covered her expenditure herself if she had known charity funds were to be used.
“In fact, she used very substantial sums of her own money to further the objectives of the charity,” Mr Westwood said.
The tribunal has heard the supermodel believed her hotel stay in Cannes was being covered by a friend and charity donor, Fernando Sulichin.
The forgery and fraud alleged against Ms Hellmich has been referred to the police by Ms Campbell’s team and by the Charity Commission, the tribunal has heard.
The hearing continues.
