British-Nigerian Art Dealer Sentenced to 2½ Years for Terror-Linked Art Sales

Oghenochuko “Ochuko” Ojiri, a British-Nigerian art dealer and former TV expert on BBC programs such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to failing to report high-value art transactions involving Nazem Ahmad. Ahmad, a diamond and art dealer, is suspected of financing the militant group Hezbollah and is under both U.S. and U.K. sanctions .

Between October 2020 and December 2021, Ojiri sold approximately £140,000 (about $185,000) worth of artwork to Ahmad, despite being aware of his sanctioned status. Prosecutors emphasized that Ojiri researched Ahmad’s background and acknowledged his links in conversations, yet proceeded with the deals, even congratulating Ahmad on his purchases .

Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, presiding at London’s Old Bailey, described Ojiri’s conduct as motivated by “prestige and profit.” In addition to the prison sentence, Ojiri faces a one-year license period, during which any further legal infractions could result in immediate re-incarceration .

This historic conviction marks the first prosecution under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000, highlighting the heightened scrutiny on art market transactions as potential conduits for terrorism financing. Authorities, including the U.K.’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, HMRC, and the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, have welcomed the outcome as a strong precedent that warns dealers against facilitating illicit finance by knowingly dealing with sanctioned individuals.

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