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Thursday, May 22, 2025

Art Dealer Pleads Guilty to UK Met Investigation Into Terrorist Financing

An art dealer from London has become the first person to be convicted of a specific offence under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53 (05.05.72), of west London, has been charged following an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, he has been charged with eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. The charges relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021.

Ojiri is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 9 May.

The investigation has been carried out in partnership with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury, HMRC (the organisation that regulates the art sector), and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit.

UPDATED May 9, 2025

Ojiri appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 9 May and pleaded guilty to all the charges. He will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 6 June.

He was first arrested on Tuesday, 18 April 2023 in Wales. The charges relate to the sale of art to Nazem Ahmad, a man who has been sanctioned by the UK Treasury, suspected of financing Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist group by the UK Government. He was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2019.

The updated announcement can be found here.

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The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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