Nigerian-British art dealer and BBC personality Ochuko Ojiri has pleaded guilty to eight terrorism-related charges after selling artwork to a man suspected of financing Hezbollah.
- Ojiri sold £140,000 worth of art to Mr Ahmad, a man under U.S. sanctions
- He admitted failing to report suspicious activity under UK terrorism laws
- The transactions occurred between Oct 2020 and Dec 2021
- Artworks were reportedly sent to Dubai and Beirut
- Sentencing is set for June 6 at the Old Bailey, London
This case cuts deep: a once-trusted face on British TV now tied to a global terror probe. Ojiri, who once ran a trendy London vintage shop and featured on BBC shows, knowingly sold art to a sanctioned individual linked to Hezbollah. Prosecutors say he had long-standing awareness of the buyer’s activities, yet chose profit over disclosure.
The conviction is a stark reminder of how high-value art can be exploited for dark dealings — and how regulations, even when in place, mean little without enforcement.
Sentencing looms, and so do bigger questions: how many others in the art world might be turning a blind eye?
