British art dealer sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for selling art to suspicious Hezbollah financiers
A London art dealer recently was sentenced to two years and six months for failing to announce the sale of the artwork to a collector approved by the U.S. government since 2019 for donating to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group.
Oghenochuko Ojiri pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced to central courts in England and Wales after pleading guilty in May. On May 8, he was charged by the Metropolitan Police as “the first person charged with a specific crime under Section 21A of the Terrorism Act of 2000.”
The charges occurred after an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the police department’s Counter Terrorism Command, in partnership with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in His Majesty’s Treasury, His Majesty’s Revenue and Custom (the organization that regulates the art sector), and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit.
Judge Cheema-Grubb said Ojiri had realized that the work he was selling was going to Nazem Ahmad, who was approved by U.S. authorities in 2019.
“These crimes are so serious that only the sentence of detention can justify it,” Cheema-Grubb said. “Your hard work, talent and charm have brought you a lot of success…you know you shouldn’t be dealing with that man.”
according to BBC NewsCheema-Grubb added that there is no evidence that Ojiri supports any form of extremism, but his actions undermine the discovery of terrorist financing.
Gavin Irwin, the barrister representing Ojiri, told BBC News By losing “his good name” and “the job he loves,” the “humiliation is complete” for the art dealer.
“He wants to apologize for undermining the trust in the art market,” Irving said.
In addition to owning the same gallery in eastern London, Ojiri is also an art expert at the BBC Antiques Exhibition bargain and other programs.
Bethan David, head of CPS’s counter-terrorism division, told Ojiri’s motivation for dealing with Ahmad seems to be “a financial position, and a broader desire to have a reputation in the art market by dealing with such a well-known collector.” BBC News.
Evidence provided by British law enforcement in court included a prepared statement by Ojiri saying “he has no reason to believe Ahmed is a terrorist and money launderer.” However, evidence later caught from Ojiri’s phone call suggests that art dealers have studied Ahmad’s identity and know about the U.S.-approved collector of Bergia, Lebanon’s Bergia art.
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Ahmad also exported $440 million worth of art and diamonds in 2023 for violating and evading U.S. sanctions. Eight other people, including several of his family, were also charged.
Police said that under the Terrorism Act 2000, Ojiri’s allegations were intended to convey a “clear message” to the art community to ensure due diligence is needed to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures, requiring any suspicious transactions to be reported.
