An art expert who worked on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt show has admitted failing to report his dealings with a suspected Hezbollah financier.
Oghenochuko Ojiri pleaded guilty on Friday to eight counts under the Terrorism Act for failing to disclose several high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing Hezbollah between October 2020 and December 2021. This is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK.
Ojiri sold £140,000 ($186,000) worth of artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a diamond smuggler and art collector, who was sanctioned by the US in 2019 and is accused of financing Hezbollah.
At the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the prosecutor, Lyndon Harris, told the court that Ojiri “dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on purchases.” He also notified the court that Ojiri knew Ahmad’s links to Hezbollah through news reports and conversations online, according to The Guardian.
The UK government also sanctioned Ahmad in April 2023, the BBC said. UK nationals were banned from doing business with him or his companies, and his assets were frozen.
Under Section 19 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is an offense for people not to notify the police if they know or suspect that another person has been involved in financing a proscribed group or organization.
How does the UK classify Hezbollah?
Hezbollah has been classified as a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK since 2019. The Home Secretary at the time, Sajid Javid, stated that this decision was made due to Hezbollah’s continued attempts to “destabilise the fragile situation in the Middle East.”
District Judge Clarke granted bail to Ojiri, but ordered him to give up his passport and not to apply for international travel documents.
Ojiri will be sentenced on June 6 at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court in London. The offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist arts and antiques unit, with the assistance of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and HM Revenue and Customs.
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