Latest news with #artexpert
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
A British TV art expert who sold works to a suspected Hezbollah financier is sentenced to prison
LONDON — An art expert who appeared on the BBC's Bargain Hunt show was sentenced Friday to two and a half years in prison for failing to report his sale of pricey works to a suspected financier of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group . Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000. The art sales took place between October 2020 and December 2021.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Bargain Hunt star jailed for selling art to suspected Hezbollah financier
A former Bargain Hunt art expert has been jailed for two years and six months for failing to declare art he sold to a suspected financier of the banned terror group the first prosecution of its kind, Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, admitted eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business before his sentencing at the Old Bailey on from an individual who funds terrorism is an extremely serious matter, said Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command."Raising money for terrorism is a core part of how terrorist groups are then able to cause harm around the world," he added. So how did an art expert, famous for appearing on UK daytime television get mixed up in funding Hezbollah? Art gallery in Beirut Financial investigators working in a specialised counter-terrorism unit at Scotland Yard had been tracking a series of suspicious transactions between the Middle East and with HMRC and colleagues in the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit, they focused on nine payments made in 2020 and 2021 by a man called Nazem was sanctioned in 2019 by US authorities because he is believed to be a top donor to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group, which is backed by Iran and banned as a terrorist organisation by the US and used Ahmad, who has joint Lebanese-Belgian nationality, "to launder substantial amounts of money bound for the terrorist group", according to the US Treasury department. It claims Ahmad has longstanding ties with the illegal trade in "blood diamonds", a reference to how diamonds are sometimes used to fund armed conflict and authorities are offering a $10m reward for information about Ahmad, who is thought to still be in Lebanon. Authorities in the US claim Ahmad, 60, who has a vast art collection worth millions of pounds, opened an art gallery in his home city Beirut as a front to launder uncovered by UK police showed that Ahmad paid nearly £140,000 for works, which he had shipped from London to Dubai and bought them from Ojiri, including a £20,000 painting by Icelandic artist Baldur Helgason. Ojiri founded Ramp Gallery, now known as the Ojiri Gallery, based in east London. He came to public prominence with appearances in the BBC series Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, before hitting the big time on Bargain Hunt, in 2019. He has also appeared on Channel 5's Storage: Flog the Lot!In 2021, he joined Antiques Road Trip where he scoured antique shops for treasures, competing to make the most money at auction and always wearing one of his trademark hats. By this time, he had made several secret sales of art to the Hezbollah financier. Although he was careful to keep Ahmad's name off the paperwork, officers in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit tracked the money to Ojiri and, in April 2023, police arrested the same day the Treasury sanctioned Ahmad and banned him from travelling to the UK. The US authorities also charged Ahmad with defrauding the US and foreign governments, money laundering and sanctions evasion, claiming companies connected to him had been engaged in more than $400m worth of financial transactions between 2020 and 2022. As part of the American case, the Met police arrested a man living in Hayes, west London, for extradition to the US. Sundar Nagarajan is now awaiting trial in New York, accused of acting as Ahmad's accountant and first, Ochuko Ojiri refused to answer police questions, but in a prepared statement he said he had no reason to believe Ahmad was a terrorist and money evidence seized from his phone showed he had researched who Ahmad was and knew he had been sanctioned by the US. A colleague had even messaged to warn him against doing business with arrest came after people working in the art market were brought into the regulated sector in 2019, meaning they were bound by anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures to report suspicious transactions or face prosecution. Presented with such damning evidence, Ojiri said he was sorry for what he had done and told police he had wanted to grow his denied being motivated by greed and said it was the kudos of dealing with a name in the collecting world. Ahmad's Instagram account had 200,000 followers at that time and he was seen as a social media influencer in the art was charged under a section of the Terrorism Act 2000 that has never been used before. Police hope it will send a clear message to those doing business in the art world."You will need to make sure you are doing your due diligence," Cdr Murphy year, the National Crime Agency issued an amber alert warning that storage facilities for artwork could be used by criminals "seeking a capital asset that can be safely stored, that appreciates in value over time, and that can be liquidated if and when required".It followed the seizure of 23 paintings, worth almost £1m, from a warehouse and an auction house in London. The art, which included work by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, belonged to will soon be sold off at auction as the proceeds of crime and the money raised will go to the Home Office to be used in the fight against crime.
Washington Post
09-05-2025
- Washington Post
Art expert pleads guilty to selling works to suspected Hezbollah financier
LONDON — An art expert who appeared on the BBC's Bargain Hunt show pleaded guilty Friday to failing to report that he sold pricey works to a suspected financier of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group . Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, was charged with failing to disclose art sales between October 2020 and December 2021. He pleaded guilty in Westminster Magistrates' Court to eight offences under a section of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Art dealer charged in terrorist financing probe
An art expert who has featured on BBC's Bargain Hunt has been charged with offences relating to terrorist financing. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, faces eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000, the Metropolitan Police said. He is the first person to be charged with the specific offence, the force added. Mr Ojiri, of west London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday. The charges relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021 and were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service. It follows an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the Met's National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit. The Treasury, HMRC and the Met's Arts & Antiques Unit were all also involved, the force said. Described as an "expert" in a Bargain Hunt Q&A on the BBC's website, Mr Ojiri said he was "absolutely obsessed" with collecting contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings. He has also appeared on the BBC's Antiques Road Trip since 2021. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Met Police HM Courts & Tribunals Service
