British-Nigerian art dealer Ogeneochuko Ojiri has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to report a series of high-value art sales involving Nazem Ahmad, a man suspected of financing the Hezbollah group.The 53-year-old, who once featured on the BBC’s *Antiques Road Trip*, admitted to selling about £140,000 worth of artworks to Ahmad, despite knowing his alleged connection to the proscribed terrorist organisation.
Ojiri pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences, specifically eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000, for failing to disclose suspicious business transactions. He becomes the first person convicted under Section 21A of the Act, which makes it a crime to withhold information that could help prevent terrorism financing.
Prosecutors revealed that Ojiri had been fully aware of Ahmad’s background but chose to conceal their dealings. He was found to have altered invoices and saved Ahmad’s name under an alias in his phone to avoid detection. The court also heard that Ojiri was driven by financial gain and sought to elevate the status of his Shoreditch-based Ojiri Gallery by associating with a prominent art collector. In delivering the sentence at the Old Bailey, Justice Cheema-Grubb condemned Ojiri’s actions, stating, “You knew it was your duty to alert the authorities but you elected to balance the financial profit and commercial success of your business against Ahmad’s dark side.”
Ojiri received a prison sentence of two years and six months, with an additional year on extended licence. His barrister, Kevin Irwin, told the court that Ojiri was arrested on 18 April 2023 in Wrexham while filming a BBC programme, adding that his client’s “humiliation is complete.” On the same day as Ojiri’s arrest, the UK government imposed sanctions on Ahmad. Authorities also confiscated artworks worth nearly £1 million, including pieces by Picasso and Warhol, stored in two UK warehouses.
Source : https://punchng.com/
