An art expert who has worked on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt has admitted failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing the proscribed group Hezbollah.
Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business, the first prosecution of its kind.
The court heard on Friday that Ojiri, owner of the Ramp Gallery in London, sold artwork worth £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a suspected financier of the Lebanon-based group.
Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said Ojiri had accessed news reports showing Ahmad had been sanctioned by US authorities and had discussed this with other people.
Mr Harris said: “There is one discussion where Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about his terrorism links.”
He added that “Ramp Gallery engaged a third party to advise on compliance matters” but that the advice given was “not properly acted on”.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that Ojiri “dealt with Mr Ahmed directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on purchases”.
Ojiri, also known as Ochuko Ojiri, was charged following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist arts and antiques unit, alongside the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and HMRC. The offences took place between October 2020 and June 2022.
Under the legislation, it is an offence if people do not notify police if they know or suspect a business associate to have been involved in financing a proscribed group.
The Met said the alleged offences dated back to between October 2020 and December 2021.
He is listed on Bargain Hunt’s website as one of the show’s experts.
Ojiri is not a member of BBC staff, works as a freelance presenter and has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip and Channel 5’s Storage: Flog the Lot! He has not worked on BBC programmes since 2023.
Ojiri also founded the Ramp Gallery, a contemporary art showroom now known as the Ojiri Gallery, based in east London.
