BBC Bargain Hunt star is jailed for more than two years for terror offence after selling £140k of art to 'suspected Hezbollah terrorist financier'

Daily Mail​

06-06-2025

BBC Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri was today jailed for three years and six months after admitting a terror charge for selling £140,000 worth of art to a suspected Hezbollah backer.
The 53-year-old art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBC 's Antiques Road Trip, sold artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a wealthy collector and diamond dealer who was under US sanctions.
Ojiri knew Ahmad's background and sought to hide his links to him by doctoring invoices on the art sales and storing his name under an alias on his mobile phone, the Old Bailey heard.
Prosecutors said he was motivated by greed and a desire to 'boost the reputation' of his business, the Shoreditch-based Ojiri Gallery, by 'dealing with such a well-known collector'.
Today, police released images of invoices Ojiri sent to Ahmad for the artwork, which included paintings, prints and a sculpture ranging in value from £2,250 to £20,000.
Ojiri earlier pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. His crimes took place between October 2020 and December 2021.
He was arrested in Wrexham on April 18, 2023 - the same day the UK Government announced their own sanctions against Ahmad, who is based in Lebanon.
Officers then raided two of Ahmad's warehouses in Britain and seized £1million of art, including paintings by Picasso and Andy Warhol. Police today released pictures of the works, which will be sold - with the profits reinvested back into law enforcement.
Ojiri sold artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a dual Belgian-Lebanese citizen who is sanctioned by both the UK and US
Invoices for some of the artworks Ojiri sold to Ahmad were released today by police
US officials believe Ahmad used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and raise funds for Hezbollah. They have offered $10million for information on his whereabouts.
Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said: 'At the time of the transactions, Mr Ojiri knew Mr Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US.
'Mr Ojiri accessed news reports about Mr Ahmad's designation and engaged in discussions with others about his designation.
'There is one discussion where Mr Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about his terrorism links.'
The Crown Prosecution Service said it believes Ojiri's prosecution under Terrorism Act legislation is 'the first of its kind' against an art dealer.
Mr Harris said Ojiri 'dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on those sales'.
'They are not sham transactions - the art was sent to Dubai, the UAE, or Beirut,' the prosecutor added.
Ahmad, 60, has been accused by the US Treasury of being a 'major donor' to Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political and terrorist group based in Lebanon that is known for its opposition to Israel.
The artworks included paintings, prints and a sculpture ranging in value from £2,250 to £20,000
Officials also claim he has been involved in the sale of 'blood diamonds'.
Following the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020 that brought the art market under HMRC supervision, Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules.
'Mr Ojiri communicated to a colleague that he knew that these regulations applied to him and his business,' Mr Harris said.
Ojiri first appeared on screens on the BBC's Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
He previously owned a vintage shop in the capital called Pelicans & Parrots - which was dubbed 'the coolest place in London - before it closed in October 2021.
He went on to become a regular on Bargain Hunt and has previously also starred on Antiques Road Trip since 2021.
Ojiri was also featured on Channel 5's Storage: Flog the Lot!
The investigation that prompted the charges against Ojiri was carried out by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, which is part of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command.
Prosecutors said Ojiri doctored the invoices to hide the fact he was selling the art to Ahmad
The Treasury, HMRC and the Met's Arts & Antiques Unit were all also involved in the probe.
The maximum sentence for his offences was five years.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said after Ojiri's sentencing: '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 Hizballah.
'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.'
A wanted poster issued by American officials makes it clear they consider Ahmad to be a serious player, with a $10million (£7.52m) reward offered for information on his whereabouts
Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'It is clear that Oghenochuko Ojiri was aware of new money laundering regulations in the art world and that he had knowledge of Nazem Ahmad's background.
'Ojiri engaged in activity designed to conceal the identity of the true purchaser by changing the details on invoices and storing Mr Ahmad's name under a different alias in his mobile phone.
'His motivation appears to be financial along with a broader desire to boost his gallery's reputation within the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector.
'This prosecution is believed to be the first of its kind, and the CPS will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against individuals who flout the law in this way.'
Ojiri has previously described his love of collecting items including contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings - telling the BBC: 'I'm absolutely obsessed, in love and infatuated.'
Asked what he liked about appearing on Bargain Hunt, he said: 'Who doesn't like a bargain? I certainly do. I also love the passion of the contestants, and their many likes and dislikes.'
'When I find something I love my heart pounds. There's no other feeling like it.'
He was a freelancer and not employed directly by the BBC.