BBC star Oghenochuko Ojiri pleads guilty to…
Oghenochuko Ojiri, who commonly appeared as an artwork knowledgeable on the favored BBC collection “Bargain Hunt,” pleaded guilty to serving to finance the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Ojiri made the beautiful admission on Friday during a listening to at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, according to BBC News. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose potential terrorist financing.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, is designated as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK.
Oghenochuko Ojiri strolling outdoors Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 9, 2025. AP
Ojiri on the favored BBC show “Bargain Hunt.” BBC
The embattled “Bargain Hunt” star reportedly admitted that he had helped fund the group by promoting paintings to Nazem Ahmad, a suspected terrorist financier sanctioned by the US and UK due to his alleged hyperlinks to Hezbollah.
Prosecutors in the case claimed that Ojiri submitted paperwork for the gross sales of sure items of artwork to Ahmad by naming “other individuals suggested by Mr. Ahmad’s associates” in what was “alleged to be an attempt to disguise the true owner of the works of art.”
The offers occurred between October 2020 and January 2022, the court was instructed, and the artwork was valued to be value a whopping $186K.
Ojiri arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 9, 2025. Jordan Peck|Getty Images
“At the time of the transactions, Mr. Ojiri knew that Nazem Ahmad had been sanctioned in the U.S. as a suspected terrorist financier,” the prosecutor, Lyndon Harris, instructed the court.
“Mr. Ojiri accessed news reports about Mr. Ahmad’s designation and engaged in discussions with others about it,” he added, “indicating his knowledge or suspicions.”
Ojiri was in the end arrested by counterterrorism police on April 18, 2023, following a prolonged investigation. The US Justice Department soon introduced fees against Ojiri, Ahmad and eight others for allegedly evading terrorism-related sanctions, per the New York Times.
The “Bargain Hunt” star pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to disclose potential terrorist financing. PA Images via Getty Images
Before his arrest, the artwork gallery proprietor appeared on a number of episodes of “Bargain Hunt” as a freelance knowledgeable.
The show, which launched on BBC One in 2000, options two pairs of contestants who are challenged to buy antiques from outlets or festivals and promote them at an public sale for more than they initially paid.
BBC pulled Ojiri from the official “Bargain Hunt” web site following his conviction. According to Deadline, he had been listed as an knowledgeable whose best “Bargain Hunt” discover was a “box of tiny Victorian china dolls.”
Ojiri standing outdoors Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London after pleading guilty to terrorism-related offenses. PA Images via Getty Images
Ojiri also appeared in comparable capacities on BBC exhibits like “Antiques Road Trip” and “Storage: Flog the Lot!”
“It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a spokesperson for the community mentioned after Ojiri’s conviction.
District Judge Briony Clarke reportedly granted Ojiri bail, but ordered the previous BBC star to hand over his passport. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.
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