A British-Nigerian art dealer, Oghenochuko Ojiri, has pleaded guilty to terrorism offences in the United Kingdom, after selling high-value artworks to a man linked with Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Ojiri, a BBC Bargain Hunt expert, admitted to eight counts of failing to report chains of suspicious transactions under the Terrorism Act 2000, making the prosecution the first of its kind.
According to a BBC report on Friday, Ojiri sold artwork worth £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, who has been accused of supporting the Lebanon-based group and was sanctioned by the United States in 2019.
Ahmad was also sanctioned by the UK government in April 2023, which froze his assets and banned UK nationals from doing business with him or his companies.
The British authorities imposed the restriction on the day Ojiri was arrested.
The Westminster Magistrates Court heard that the 53-year-old’s offences took place between October 2020 and December 2021.
Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said Ojiri had read news reports disclosing Ahmad had been sanctioned and linked with terrorism charges.
Ojiri founded Ramp Gallery, now known as the Ojiri Gallery, based in East London.
“There is one discussion where Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about [Ahmad’s] terrorism links,” Harris said.
He added, “Ramp Gallery engaged a third party to advise on compliance matters” but that the advice given was “not properly acted on.”
The court heard that Ojiri “dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on purchases.”
The prosecution’s case claimed that at the time of the transactions, there was online material showing Ahmad’s alleged connections with the “blood diamond” trade – a reference to how diamonds are sometimes used to fund armed conflict and insurgencies.
At the time, the UK government said Ahmad had “an extensive art collection in the UK” and conducted business “with multiple UK-based artists, art galleries and auction houses”.
Ojiri was charged following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist arts and antiques unit, alongside the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Under the legislation, it is an offence if people fail to notify police if they know or suspect a business associate to have been involved in financing a proscribed group.
According to the prosecution, Ojiri told police he did not support terrorist activity and felt remorseful for what he had done.
District Judge Briony Clarke granted Ojiri bail but ordered him to surrender his passport.
He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on June 6.
