Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri was today jailed for two and a half years after admitting a terror charge for selling £140,000 worth of art to a suspected Hezbollah backer.
The art dealer, who has also appeared on the BBC‘s Antiques Road Trip, sold the works to Nazem Ahmad, a wealthy collector and diamond dealer who was under US sanctions.
Ojiri bowed his head in the dock as the sentence was handed down at the Old Bailey. In addition to his custodial sentence, he was told he would serve one more year on licence.
The 53-year-old 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 court 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 – at the same time he was filming for the BBC. That same day, the UK Government announced their own sanctions against Ahmad, who is based in Lebanon.
Ochuko Ojiri in a mugshot released after his sentencing for offences related to terror financing
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
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 and the profits reinvested back into law enforcement.
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.
Issuing her sentencing remarks, which were broadcast live on TV, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: ‘You knew about Ahmad’s suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market could be exploited by someone like him.’
The judge said he had dealt with Ahmad ‘for prestige and profit’ despite knowing he had been sanctioned by the US for alleged terrorism financing.
Earlier, Gavin Irwin, mitigating, insisted Ojiri regretted his offences and had already suffered as a result of his actions.
He told the court: ‘Mr Ojiri has already lost his good name, he has lost the work he loves – he was arrested while filming a BBC television programme – of course he is not going to be back doing that any time soon.
‘He loved sharing his enthusiasm for antiques and vintage items for others – he has lost that. He has also lost his business. He is suffering from depression and severe anxiety.
The Crown Prosecution Service believe Ojiri’s prosecution is ‘the first of its kind’
The artworks included paintings, prints and a sculpture ranging in value from £2,250 to £20,000
‘He has also lost the hope that he and his partner will be able to bring up their young daughter together without this period of his life overshadowing everything else for the next decade. In short, his humiliation is complete.
‘Mr Ojiri asked me to apologise for having done wrong. Secondly, he would like to apologise for undermining trust in his industry. Finally, he wishes to apologise for the distress he has caused to those he loves and who love him, and all those who have supported him throughout his career.’
Mr Irwin accepted Ojiri had been ‘motivated by profit’ but claimed he had been ‘naïve’ in his dealings with the alleged Hezbollah financier.
Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told a previous hearing: ‘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 prosecution referenced a September 2020 WhatsApp exchange with a user called ‘Guy Rusha’ in which Rusha described having ‘much work for Nazem caught up’.
Ojiri replied stating that ‘its only the US that have put the ban in place’.
Officers raided two of Ahmad’s warehouses in Britain and seized £1million of art – none of which were linked to the Ojiri case. Pictured is a work by Andy Warhol
A Picasso painting seized from Ahmad’s collection, which will now be sold
Another Warhol that previously belonged to the alleged Hezbollah financier
Prosecutors said Ojiri doctored the invoices to hide the fact he was selling the art to Ahmad
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.
He has an art collection worth millions of pounds that he displays at his apartment in Beirut.
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 has gained a reputation for his enthusiastic on-screen demeanor and love of hats
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
In the UK, the entirety of Hezbollah – both its military and political wings – has been banned as a terrorist group since 2019. Pictured are Hezbollah militants training in 2023
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.
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 in prison.
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 willfully 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 Hezbollah.
‘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.’
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.’
Ojiri was a freelancer and not employed directly by the BBC.
