The UK Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Command has prosecuted art dealer Oghenochuko Ojiri for failing to report suspicious art sales to a suspected Hezbollah financier. This unprecedented case, highlighted by Commander Dominic Murphy, aims to alert art dealers about their responsibilities under anti-terrorism legislation. Ojiri, who sold approximately £140,000 in art to a man associated with financing terrorism, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple offenses. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving various state agencies, reflecting a broader initiative to combat terrorism funding.
this prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation, is the first of its kind and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, pursue those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups.
the prosecution followed an investigation by the National Terrorist Financing Investigation Unit (NTFIU), alongside the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in HM Treasury, HMRC, the UK's tax authority, and the Met's Art and Antiques Unit.
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