A Nigerian-British art dealer, Oghenochuko Ojiri has been charged with terrorism-related offences, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Ojiri, 53, aka Ochuko Ojiri, from west London, faces eight counts of “failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector” as part of an investigation into alleged terrorist financing.
The former TV expert was reportedly arrested two years ago by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.
The charges relate to the period from October 2020 to December 2021 and fall under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
According to the force, this marks the first time a charge of this kind has been brought.
The Met said previously that the arrest was related to an investigation into wealthy art collector and diamond dealer Nazem Ahmad, who is suspected of being a funding source for Hezbollah.
Mr Ahmad, 60, a dual Belgian-Lebanese citizen, is sanctioned by Britain and the US.
He has been accused of using the UK’s fine art market to run an international financing operation for Hezbollah, which is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation.
The investigation was conducted by the Met’s specialist arts and antiques unit in collaboration with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Mr Ojiri is known to viewers of Bargain Hunt, where he appeared as an expert.
According to the BBC, he is not a BBC employee but a freelance presenter who has also featured on Antiques Road Trip and Channel 5’s Storage: Flog the Lot!.
The BBC stated: “It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Ojiri is also the founder of Ramp Gallery, a contemporary art space in east London, now known as the Ojiri Gallery.
