Art Expert Jailed for Failing to Report High-Value Sales to Suspected Hezbollah Financier
A BBC Bargain Hunt art expert has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing the militant group Hezbollah. Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artworks worth a total of about £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation.
According to The Guardian, Ojiri, of Brent, north London, previously pleaded guilty to eight offences under section 21a of the Terrorism Act 2000. He is believed to be the first person to be charged with the specific offence. The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip, was charged with failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector on or before dates between October 2020 and December 2021.
US prosecutors say Ahmad was a “major Hezbollah financial donor” who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group. Ahmad is accused of evading terrorism sanctions by using front companies to acquire more than $160m (£118m) in artwork and diamond services. As The Guardian reports, after 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.
The court previously heard that the total value of the artworks sold was about £140,000. Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said the defendant was, at the relevant time, the owner and operator of Ramp Gallery, later known as Ojiri Gallery. Ahmad is understood to be based in Beirut, the court heard. Harris said: “The defendant engaged in discussions with and sales over a 14-month period with Nazem Ahmad and his associates, selling art to the value of £140,000 over that period.”
As quoted in The Guardian, Gavin Irwin, defending, said Ojiri was arrested while filming a BBC TV programme. He said: “He has lost the work he loves. He was arrested while filming a BBC television programme. He has already lost, of course, his good name; he was until recently a man of good character.” Irwin said the defendant had been “naive” in relation to his participation in Ahmad’s art market, but that he was “preyed on by more sophisticated others”.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced Ojiri to two years and six months in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday, with a further year to be spent on licence. She told Ojiri he had been involved in a commercial relationship “for prestige and profit” and that he had been “seeking the kudos of dealing with an eminent name in the dealing world”. As The Guardian reports, the judge said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified.
Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command, said: “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.” The Guardian quotes Murphy as saying that 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.
The case highlights the importance of reporting suspicious transactions in the art market, particularly when dealing with individuals suspected of financing terrorism. As The Guardian notes, Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political and militant group based in Lebanon, backed by Iran and known for its armed resistance against Israel. In the UK, the entire organisation – both its military and political wings – has been proscribed as a terrorist group since 2019.
Ojiri has appeared on a number of BBC shows including Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, and described himself as “absolutely obsessed” with collecting contemporary art in a BBC Q&A. Ojiri has previously worked as an auctioneer and is known for championing African and European contemporary art. The case serves as a warning to art dealers and professionals to be vigilant and report suspicious transactions to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
