BBC star Oghenochuko Ojiri pleads guilty to financing suspected Hezbollah financier
Oghenochuko Ojiri, who regularly appeared as an art expert on the popular BBC series 'Bargain Hunt,' pleaded guilty to helping finance the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Ojiri made the stunning admission on Friday during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, according to BBC News. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose potential terrorist financing.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, is designated as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK.
The embattled 'Bargain Hunt' star reportedly admitted that he had helped fund the group by selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a suspected terrorist financier sanctioned by the US and UK due to his alleged links to Hezbollah.
Prosecutors in the case claimed that Ojiri submitted paperwork for the sales of certain pieces of art to Ahmad by naming 'other individuals suggested by Mr. Ahmad's associates' in what was 'alleged to be an attempt to disguise the true owner of the works of art.'
The deals took place between October 2020 and January 2022, the court was told, and the art was valued to be worth a whopping $186K.
'At the time of the transactions, Mr. Ojiri knew that Nazem Ahmad had been sanctioned in the U.S. as a suspected terrorist financier,' the prosecutor, Lyndon Harris, told the court.
'Mr. Ojiri accessed news reports about Mr. Ahmad's designation and engaged in discussions with others about it,' he added, 'indicating his knowledge or suspicions.'
Ojiri was ultimately arrested by counterterrorism police on April 18, 2023, following a lengthy investigation. The US Justice Department soon announced charges against Ojiri, Ahmad and eight others for allegedly evading terrorism-related sanctions, per the New York Times.
Before his arrest, the art gallery owner appeared on several episodes of 'Bargain Hunt' as a freelance expert.
The show, which launched on BBC One in 2000, features two pairs of contestants who are challenged to purchase antiques from shops or fairs and sell them at an auction for more than they initially paid.
BBC pulled Ojiri from the official 'Bargain Hunt' website following his conviction. According to Deadline, he had been listed as an expert whose best 'Bargain Hunt' find was a 'box of tiny Victorian china dolls.'
Ojiri also appeared in similar capacities on BBC shows like 'Antiques Road Trip' and 'Storage: Flog the Lot!'
'It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings,' a spokesperson for the network said after Ojiri's conviction.
District Judge Briony Clarke reportedly granted Ojiri bail, but ordered the former BBC star to hand over his passport. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.
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