The BBC bargaining hunting arts expert was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to report a high-value art sales suspected of funding Hezbollah.

Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, sold artworks worth about £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by U.S. authorities as a suspicious financier who was a Lebanese organization, and was told last month.

Ojiri, Brent, north London, previously pleaded guilty to eight offenses under Section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. He is believed to be the first to be charged with a specific crime.

Art dealers have also appeared on the BBC’s antique road trip and are accused of failing to disclose information about transactions in the regulated art market sector between October 2020 and December 2021.

U.S. prosecutors said Ahmed was a "major Hezbollah financial donor" who used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the group.

Ahmad, accused of evading terrorist sanctions, took advantage of the former company that acquired more than $160 million (£118 million) of art and diamond services.

After the introduction of new money laundering regulations in January 2020, bringing the art market to the supervision of HMRC, Ojiri is said to have discussed these changes with colleagues, demonstrating awareness of the rules.

The court had previously heard that the total value of the artwork for sale was about £140,000.

At the relevant time, the defendant was the owner and operator of the ramp gallery, which later became known as Ojiri Gallery, prosecutor Lyndon Harris said.

The court learned that it is understood that Ahmad is located in Beirut.

"The defendants discussed the discussion and sales over 14 months with Nazem Ahmad and his colleagues, and sold the artwork for £140,000 during this period," Harris said.

The defendants knew that the U.S. sanctions had been placed on Ahmed. The court heard that Ahmed's phone number was kept on Ojiri's phone.

"(It seems to be intentionally chosen to cover up Ahmed's name and is one of his contacts," Harris said. Others warned Ahmed for his actions, but continued to trade with Ahmed anyway."

Gavin Irwin, who defended, said Ojiri was arrested while filming a BBC TV show.

He said: "He lost his favorite work. He was arrested while filming the BBC TV show. Of course, he had lost his good name; until recently he was a person of character."

Irving said the defendant was “naive” in his involvement in Ahmed’s art market, but he was “preyed by others.”

He also said the defendant had lost his business, accepted that he had done something wrong, and wanted to "apologize for undermining trust in the industry" and "apologize for the trouble he had caused to those who knew him, loved him, and those who supported him throughout his career."

On Friday, Mrs. Cheema-Grubb sentenced Ojiri to two years and six months in prison at Old Bailey and spent another year to obtain permission.

She told Ojiri that he had been “pride in reputation and profit” and that he had been “seeking the honor of a prominent name in the trading world”.

She added: “You know Ahmad’s alleged involvement in terrorist financing and the way people like him can take advantage of the art market.”

Cheema-Grubb said he had been “the one to be admired” before these incidents, adding: “It’s Nadir – your life can go in one direction and I’m sure you won’t be in front of the court again.”

The judge said the crimes were so serious that only the sentence of detention could be justified.

Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command, said: “Prosecution, using specific terrorist legal legislation, is the first of its kind and should warn everyone we can, and will, for all those who can prosecute those who do business with the terrorist community.

“Oghenochuko Ojiri deliberately concealed the fact that he knew he was selling art to Nazem Ahmad, who was approved by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the banned terrorist group Hizballah.

“Financial investigations are an important part of the counter-terrorism efforts. Professional investigators, analysts and researchers at NTFIU (National Terrorism Financial Investigation Division) work throughout the year to prevent money from reaching into the hands of terrorists or using them to fund terrorist attacks.”

Ojiri appeared on many BBC shows, including bargaining and antique road trips, and called herself an "absolute obsession" to collect contemporary art on the BBC Q&A.

Ojiri previously worked as an auctioneer and is known for her support for African and European contemporary art.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamic political and radical organization headquartered in Lebanon and backed by Iran, known for its armed resistance to Israel.

In the UK, the entire organization, including military and political wings, has been banned as a terrorist organization since 2019.