Bargain Hunt expert jailed after selling art to suspected Hezbollah financier
A BBC Bargain Hunt expert has been jailed for two and a half years for selling works of art to a Lebanese man suspected of financing the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Oghenochuko Ojiri, who also appeared on Antiques Road Trip, pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The 53-year-old, who ran an art gallery in east London, admitted failing to disclose information about sales he made to Beirut-based Nazem Ahmad.
Ahmad was sanctioned by the US and UK authorities on suspicion that he was money laundering and financing the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.
New money laundering regulations were introduced in January 2020, bringing the art market under HMRC supervision and putting a responsibility on dealers to ensure they were following the rules.
The Old Bailey heard Ojiri had discussed the changes with a colleague in the US over email, indicating he was aware of his responsibilities.
Evidence recovered from his phone also showed he had downloaded a New York Times article about Ahmad, indicating he knew of the suspicions surrounding his activities.
But on eight occasions between October 2020 and December 2021, he sold works of art to Ahmad worth £140,000.
He disguised his name in his telephone and claimed the works were being sold to a different person.
Ojiri was arrested in April 2023 in north Wales while filming a show for the BBC.
He admitted the offences when he appeared at Westminster magistrates' court last month.
Gavin Irwin, representing Ojiri, said the art expert and married father's 'humiliation is complete' having lost 'his good name' and the 'work he loves'.
Appearing at the Old Bailey for sentencing, Ojiri was given a three and a half year sentence comprising two and a half years in jail and another year on licence.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: 'Mr Ojiri, your hard work, talent and charisma has brought you a great deal of success.
'But working in a regulated sector carries significant responsibility. You knew you should not be dealing with this man. I do not accept that you were naive.
'Rather, it benefitted you to close your eyes to what you believed he was. You knew it was your duty to alert the authorities. Instead you elected to balance the financial profit and commercial success of your business against Nazem Ahmad's dark side.'
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'This case is a great example of the work done by detectives in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), based in the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.
'The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups.
'Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah.
'Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks.'
This is a breaking news story. More follows
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