A British-Nigerian art dealer, Ogeneochuko Ojiri, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison after admitting to concealing art transactions worth around £140,000 connected to Nazem Ahmad, a man suspected of funding the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Ojiri, 53, who previously appeared on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences after acknowledging that he sold valuable artworks to Ahmad despite being aware of his alleged involvement with the banned organisation.
He was charged under eight counts of the UK Terrorism Act 2000 for failing to report suspicious financial activity.
This case marks the first time anyone has been prosecuted under Section 21A of the Act, which criminalises the non-disclosure of information that could help prevent terrorist financing.
Prosecutors said Ojiri was well aware of Ahmad’s background and intentionally concealed their transactions. He allegedly altered sales invoices and saved Ahmad’s contact using a false name in his phone to hide the dealings.
The court was told Ojiri was driven by financial gain and a desire to elevate the status of his gallery — the Ojiri Gallery in Shoreditch — by associating with a prominent collector.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Justice Cheema-Grubb condemned Ojiri’s conduct, stating: “You were aware of your legal responsibility to notify the authorities, but chose instead to prioritise profit and the growth of your business over concerns about Ahmad’s criminal ties.”
In addition to the two-and-a-half-year custodial sentence, Ojiri will serve an extra year on extended licence.
According to his defence lawyer, Kevin Irwin, Ojiri was arrested on April 18, 2023, in Wrexham while filming a BBC programme.
Irwin noted that his client now faces public disgrace following the conviction.
Coincidentally, Ahmad was sanctioned by the UK government on the same day as Ojiri’s arrest.
Authorities have since confiscated artworks worth nearly £1 million from two storage locations in the UK, including pieces by iconic artists such as Picasso and Andy Warhol.
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