Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri has been jailed for failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of being a Hezbollah financier.
The art dealer, 53, pleaded guilty to eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey to two and a half years jail time, with a further year on licence, after selling artwork worth around £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a suspected financier for the Lebanese organisation.
Ojiri has made regular appearances on the BBC programme as well as Antiques Road Trip.
The 53-year-old, from west London, was charged following an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, a Met Police statement reveals.
He is the first person to be charged with a specific offence under Section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The offences relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021.
US prosecutors have said Nazem Ahmad was a ‘major Hezbollah financial donor’ who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group.
Ojiri is said to have discussed the introduction of new money laundering regulations with a colleague, indicating awareness of the rules. The changes brought the art market under HMRC supervision.
Described as an ‘expert’ in a Bargain Hunt Q&A on the BBC’s website, Ojiri said he was ‘absolutely obsessed’ with collecting contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings.
He also discusses his role and says his favourite parts of it are ‘meeting new people, and breathing new life and context into forgotten and neglected treasures’.
When asked why he chose a career in antiques, he said: ‘No other industry would accept my rare mixture of sarcasm, cynicism and passion.’
He also said he had ‘no idea’ why he became involved in Bargain Hunt, and would want to work in ‘forecast trends’ if not in antiques.
‘You’re literally looking into the future, deciding what you’ll eat before you’re even hungry. Mind blowing.’
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