A 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 transactions linked to a suspected terrorism financier.
Ojiri, 53, admitted to selling approximately £140,000 worth of artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a Lebanese businessman accused of funding Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization.
Despite knowing about Ahmad’s alleged ties, Ojiri failed to alert the authorities as required under UK law.
He pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 for failing to disclose suspicious transactions during his business activities.
Notably, he is the first person to be prosecuted under Section 21A of the Act, which makes it a crime to withhold information that could help prevent terrorism financing.
The court heard that Ojiri, owner of the Ojiri Gallery in Shoreditch, manipulated sales records and used an alias to store Ahmad’s name in his phone in a deliberate effort to conceal the dealings.
Prosecutors described him as being driven by greed and a desire to boost his gallery’s profile by associating with a high-profile art collector.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Justice Cheema-Grubb criticised Ojiri’s actions, stating: “You knew it was your duty to alert the authorities, but you chose instead to weigh financial profit and commercial success against Ahmad’s dark associations.”
Ojiri was handed a custodial sentence of two years and six months, along with an additional one-year term on extended licence.
His lawyer, Kevin Irwin, revealed that Ojiri was arrested on April 18, 2023, in Wrexham while filming a BBC programme.
“His humiliation is complete,” Irwin told the court.
Coincidentally, the same day Ojiri was arrested, the UK government imposed sanctions on Ahmad.
Authorities later seized artworks valued at nearly £1 million, including pieces by Picasso and Warhol from two storage facilities in the UK.
