Ochuko Ojiri saved suspected terrorist as ‘Moss’ in phone contacts and was arrested MID-FILMING BBC show in first prosecution of its kind
BBC Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri was today jailed for two and a half years after admitting terror offences for selling £140,000 worth of artwork to a suspected Hezbollah financier – despite knowing about his links to terrorism.
The 53-year-old art dealer, who has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip, bowed his head in the dock at the Old Bailey as Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb handed down the sentence, telling him he had “closed his eyes” to buyer Nazem Ahmad’s “dark side.”
In a damning judgment, the judge told Ojiri: “You knew about Ahmad’s suspected involvement in financing terrorism and the way the art market can be exploited by someone like him.”
The court heard the TV personality will serve two years and six months in prison with an additional year on licence after his release.
SAVED AS ‘MOSS’ IN PHONE
In extraordinary details revealed at the Old Bailey, Ojiri had saved the suspected terrorist financier under the alias “Moss” in his phone contacts in a bid to disguise their relationship, and changed Ahmad’s details on official invoices.
The art dealer conducted eight separate deals with Ahmad between October 2020 and December 2021, despite having read a New York Times article about the Lebanese diamond dealer being sanctioned by the US government over alleged terror ties and trades in ‘blood diamonds.
Ahmad, 60, a dual Belgian-Lebanese citizen described in court as a “prominent financier” for Hezbollah, has an extensive art collection worth tens of millions of pounds, including works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol displayed in his Beirut penthouse.
‘I CAN’T RISK SELLING TO HIM’
The court was shown damning messages between Ojiri and a business associate, when he acknowledged the dangers, writing: “I can’t risk selling directly to him.
Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told the court: “That’s exactly what he went on to do.
Eventually Ojiri was in direct contact with Ahmad through messages and on Instagram, with Met Police officers later recovering invoices for artwork sales totaling £142,150.
ARRESTED WHILE FILMING BBC SHOW
In a humiliating twist, Ojiri was arrested in Wrexham in April 2023 while in the middle of filming a BBC programme, with his barrister Kevin Irwin telling the court his client’s “humiliation is complete.
The arrest came on the same day Ahmad was sanctioned by the UK government, with Scotland Yard officers subsequently seizing £1 million worth of artwork from two UK warehouses linked to Ahmad, including a Picasso and two Warhols – separate from those sold by Ojiri.
‘GREAT ACCOLADE’ FOR INSTAGRAM
Shockingly, Ojiri admitted to police that he had done deals with the financier because he believed it would be a “great accolade” on Instagram and would help to grow his career.
He told officers he knew who Ahmad was and denied that money or greed were motivating factors, claiming it was more about the “excitement and kudos” of dealing with a “name” in the collecting world.
FIRST OF ITS KIND PROSECUTION
Ojiri became the first person to be charged and convicted under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000, which requires people in regulated sectors to report suspicions of terrorism financing.
The legislation was introduced in January 2020 to bring the art market under HMRC supervision, and the court heard Ojiri had discussed these regulatory changes with a colleague, understanding that the new regime applied to him and his business.
Despite contracting a third party to advise on compliance matters, he did not properly act upon the advice given.
FROM TV STAR TO CONVICT
The judge acknowledged the devastating impact of the conviction on Ojiri’s life, telling him: “Until these events, you were someone to be admired.”
She described his offences as a “shameful fall from grace of a public personality and role model for those from an ethnic minority, in the arts and antique sector.
“Your hard work, talent and charisma brought you a great deal of success. But working in a regulated sector carries significant responsibility, and you knew you shouldn’t be dealing with this man,” she said.
‘NO SPOON LONG ENOUGH’
In a memorable phrase, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the law is designed to make life “uncomfortable” for international terror funders “so they can’t engage in aspects of civil life they would like to have or project.
“In short, it is to ensure no spoon is long enough to sup with those involved in terrorism,” she declared.
HEZBOLLAH TERROR LINKS
US prosecutors say Ahmad was a “major Hezbollah financial donor” who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group. He is accused of evading terrorism sanctions by using front companies to acquire more than $160 million (£120 million) in artwork and diamond services.
Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon, backed by Iran, and is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by countries including the UK and the US.
‘WILFULLY OBSCURED’ DEALINGS
Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said the prosecution should serve as a warning to all art dealers.
“Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah,” he said.
“This case is a great example of the work done by detectives in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit. The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who fail to comply.”
BBC CUTS TIES
Ojiri, who last appeared on BBC programming in 2023, had described himself as “absolutely obsessed” with contemporary art in a Q&A on the BBC website. He founded the Ramp Gallery, later renamed the Ojiri Gallery, in east London.
The BBC, which lists him as a freelance presenter rather than staff member, said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
Ojiri will serve at least two thirds of his prison term before being considered for release by the Parole Board – marking a spectacular fall from grace for the man who once joked that “no other industry would accept my rare mixture of sarcasm, cynicism and passion.
