UK Court Jails British-Nigerian Art Dealer for Selling Artwork to Suspected Hezbollah Financier

A UK court has sentenced British-Nigerian art dealer Oghenochuko Ojiri to two and a half years in prison for failing to report the sale of artworks to a suspected Hezbollah financier. The sentencing, delivered at the Old Bailey, marks the first prosecution of its kind under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Ojiri, a well-known expert from the BBC’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, admitted to eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business. The court heard that between October 2020 and December 2021, he sold approximately £140,000 worth of art to Nazem Ahmad, a Lebanese businessman sanctioned by the US and UK for allegedly financing Hezbollah.

Authorities revealed that Ahmad, who has an extensive art collection featuring works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, used his art dealings to launder money for the terrorist organization. Despite acknowledging the risks, Ojiri proceeded with the transactions, sending artworks to Dubai, the UAE, and Beirut.

During sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that Ojiri was fully aware of Ahmad’s suspected involvement in terrorism financing and deliberately chose to ignore his duty to report the transactions. She emphasized that Ojiri’s actions represented a “shameful fall from grace” for a public figure in the arts and antiques sector.