You're reading: Mandela charity denies having Taylor diamonds

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela's charity says it did not receive the diamonds Naomi Campbell testified she gave to its former head.

Campbell said Thursday that she gave the stones to a friend, Jeremy Ratcliffe, who was the director of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, intending he use them for charity.

But the organization’s current spokesman, Oupa Ngwenya, says the fund did not receive the diamonds.

Ngwenya said the fund was unable to locate Ratcliffe and he also could not be reached by phone. Ngwenya confirmed that Ratcliffe is no longer the fund’s chief executive but a trustee.

Campbell said she had called Ratcliffe a year ago to ask what he had done with the stones, and he told her he still had them.