British-Nigerian Ojiri jailed over £140,000 art sale to Hezbollah financier
By Jeffrey Agbo
British-Nigerian art dealer Ogeneochuko Ojiri has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to report a series of high-value art sales linked to Nazem Ahmad, a man accused of financing the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Ojiri, 53, who previously appeared on the BBC programme Antiques Road Trip, admitted to selling approximately £140,000 worth of artwork to Ahmad, despite being aware of his alleged ties to the terrorist organisation.
In a landmark case, Ojiri became the first individual convicted under Section 21A of the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it a criminal offence to withhold information that could help prevent terrorist financing. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose suspicious transactions related to his business activities.
Prosecutors told the court that Ojiri knowingly concealed his dealings with Ahmad. He allegedly manipulated invoices and saved Ahmad’s contact under a false name to avoid detection.
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The court heard that Ojiri 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.’”
While delivering the sentence at the Old Bailey, Justice Cheema-Grubb criticised Ojiri’s actions, stating, “You knew it was your duty to alert the authorities but you elected to balance the financial profit and commercial success of your business against Ahmad’s dark side.”
Ojiri received a custodial sentence of 30 months, along with an additional one year on extended licence.
His barrister, Kevin Irwin, noted that Ojiri was arrested on April 18, 2023, in Wrexham while filming a BBC show. Irwin told the court that his client’s public humiliation was already severe.
On the same day of Ojiri’s arrest, the UK government announced sanctions against Ahmad. Authorities later seized artworks stored in two UK warehouses, including pieces by Picasso and Warhol, valued at nearly £1 million.
