A British-Nigerian art expert, Oghenochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri, who has appeared on BBC shows such as Bargain Hunt, has pleaded guilty to terrorism financing charges after failing to report high-value art sales to a man sanctioned for alleged ties to Hezbollah.
The 53-year-old admitted to eight counts of failing to disclose financial transactions under the Terrorism Act 2000, marking the first prosecution of its kind in the UK under this specific law.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday that Ojiri sold artworks worth £140,000 between October 2020 and December 2021 to Nazem Ahmad, a man accused by US and UK authorities of supporting Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based group designated as a terrorist organisation.
Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told the court that Ojiri was aware of Ahmad’s sanctioned status, referencing conversations and news reports the art dealer had seen. “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.
The court also heard that Ojiri directly negotiated with Ahmad and even congratulated him on his purchases. Although his gallery—Ramp Gallery, now operating as the Ojiri Gallery in east London—hired a compliance consultant, Harris said the advice was “not properly acted on.”
Ahmad was first sanctioned by the US in 2019 and later by the UK in 2023, with authorities freezing his assets and banning any UK business dealings with him. The UK government stated that Ahmad had an “extensive art collection in the UK” and had conducted transactions with multiple British artists, galleries, and auction houses.
Ojiri, who has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip and Channel 5’s Storage: Flog the Lot!, is listed as an expert on Bargain Hunt’s website. He works as a freelance presenter but has not appeared on BBC programmes since 2023.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s arts and antiques unit, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), and HM Revenue & Customs. Under UK law, failing to report suspicions that a business associate may be financing a banned organisation is a criminal offence.
Ojiri, who appeared in court under the name Ochuko Ojiri, was granted bail but ordered to surrender his passport and barred from applying for international travel documents. He is set to be sentenced at a later date.
