Fashion for Relief, the poverty, health and education charity set up by the model Naomi Campbell, is being investigated by the Charity Commission amid concerns over its governance and finances.

The charity had previously been subject to a compliance case, which opened in September 2020.

But this has been escalated to a statutory inquiry after the Commission found concerns relating to the governance and finances of the charity.

“This included the charity’s consistent late filing of accounts and lack of evidence to show that conflicts of interest were being managed,” said the Commission.

The charity is listed on the register of charities as having two trustees, Campbell and Bianka Hellmich, a financial specialist who works with high net worth individuals.

In March the regulator had issued the charity with an action plan for improvement.

But the Charity Commission says that “following a review of the charity’s response” to the plan it has “identified further concerns in the charity’s financial management and governance to explore”.

The inquiry will focus on whether the charity has met its legal duties and responsibilities, its finances, governance and why accounts have not been submitted on time.

It will also look at potential misconduct and/of mismanagement.

The inquiry launched earlier this month and “in order to protect the charity’s property” the trustees have been restricted from “certain financial transactions”.

The charity is now 179 days late for submitting its latest accounts. Its last submitted accounts, for the year ending July 2019, show it had a total income of £1.72m and its expenditure was £1.79m.

Fashion for Relief was launched by Campbell in 2005.

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