Art Expert Jailed for Illegally Trading Artwork with Hezbollah Financier
Oghenochuko Ojiri, an art expert who appeared on BBC's Bargain Hunt, was sentenced to prison for secretly selling expensive artworks to a Hezbollah financier. Charged under the Terrorism Act 2000, Ojiri's sales totaled 140,000 pounds. His prosecution marks a first, warning art dealers against funding terrorism.
- Country:
- United Kingdom
An art expert known from the BBC's Bargain Hunt, Oghenochuko Ojiri, received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for undisclosed sales of high-value art to a Hezbollah financier.
Ojiri faced eight charges under the Terrorism Act 2000 for selling artworks worth about 140,000 pounds to Nazem Ahmad, a sanctioned diamond and art dealer linked to Hezbollah. The sales were conducted between October 2020 and December 2021, violating UK and US sanctions against Ahmad.
At London's Old Bailey, Ojiri was sentenced and warned by Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb about his commercial relationship with Ahmad. This case serves as a warning to art dealers on the legal repercussions of funding terrorism.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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