British art dealer Oghenochuko Ojiri, known for appearances on BBC’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for selling artworks to a man identified as a Hezbollah financier.
According to the Associated Press, Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight terrorism offenses after selling art valued at around £140,000 (approximately $185,000) to Nazem Ahmad, a Lebanese diamond and art dealer previously sanctioned by the UK and US governments. The transactions occurred between October 2020 and December 2021, despite active sanctions that banned such dealings.
Ojiri’s sentencing took place at London’s Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, where he also received a one-year license period following his release—meaning he must avoid further legal trouble or risk returning to custody.
During sentencing, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Ojiri:
“You knew about Ahmad’s suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him. This is the nadir — there is one direction your life can go and I am confident that you will not be in front of the courts again.”
Ojiri’s dealings with Ahmad were described in court as a pursuit “for prestige and profit,” marking a stark contrast to his once-respected standing in the British art community.
The UK’s Metropolitan Police carried out the investigation in coordination with U.S. Homeland Security, which is pursuing a broader inquiry into Ahmad’s alleged money laundering operations involving shell companies.
Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command stated:
“This 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, pursue those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups.”
Ahmad was first sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2019 and later by the UK Treasury in 2021, over his connections to Hezbollah. Authorities say he used high-value art, including blood diamonds and works by Picasso and Andy Warhol, to facilitate illicit financial networks.
After Ojiri’s arrest in April 2023, authorities seized several valuable artworks stored in two UK warehouses. The collection, worth nearly £1 million, will be liquidated, with proceeds allocated to the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Home Office.
Article updated 3 weeks ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
