British-Nigerian art expert Oghenochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri has pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose transactions related to terrorism financing.
Ojiri, who has appeared on BBC’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, admitted to selling artwork worth £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man sanctioned by the US in 2019 and later by the UK government in 2023 for alleged links to Hezbollah.
According to prosecutor Lyndon Harris, Ojiri “dealt with Mr. Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on those sales.” Harris added that Ojiri was aware of Ahmad’s designation and had discussed it with others, stating, “There is one discussion where Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about his terrorism links.”
Ojiri’s prosecution followed investigations by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist arts and antiques unit, in collaboration with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and HMRC. The art dealer reportedly told police he didn’t support terrorist activity and was sorry for his actions, claiming his motivation was the excitement of dealing with a prominent collector rather than financial gain.
District Judge Briony Clarke granted Ojiri bail, ordering him to surrender his passport, after his barrister Gavin Irwin argued he wasn’t a flight risk. Ojiri is set to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on June 6 ¹ ².
Ojiri’s guilty plea marks the first prosecution of its kind under the Terrorism Act 2000, highlighting the UK’s efforts to enforce financial sanctions against individuals and organizations linked to terrorism.