BBC Bargain Hunt expert charged with terror offences - More bad news for 'Auntie'...

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg4180np8do
Credit: Thomas Mackintosh, BBC News
Archive: https://archive.ph/wip/RdgL6



An art dealer who appeared as an expert on the BBC's Bargain Hunt has been charged with terror offences, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, of west London, has been charged with eight counts of "failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector", following an investigation into "terrorist financing".

The Met added the alleged offences are said to have occurred between October 2020 and December 2021.

Mr Ojiri, who is also known as Ochuko Ojiri, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The force said it is the first charge of its kind under section 21A of the Terrorism Act of 2000.

It added the probe was carried out by its specialist arts and antiques unit, alongside the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and HMRC.

Mr Ojiri is listed on Bargain Hunt's website as one of the show's experts. He has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip and Channel 5's Storage: Flog the Lot!

He also founded the Ramp Gallery, a contemporary art showroom now known as the Ojiri Gallery, based in Stoke Newington in north-east London.

 

[Staticness]

So just supposed money laundering.

 

[Miriam Margoyles]

@Dickinson's Real Deal? Are you available to comment?

 

[JohnnyG]

Oghenochuko Ojiri
of west London

Lmao, said with a straight face no doubt.

also known as Ochuko Ojiri

Oh good, they've learned the same practice that africans in America deploy, shifting between an endless supply of street names, nicknames, misspellings, and aliases to better evade the law.

"We're looking for La'Shitticus Jackson."
"Nah my name Pookie."
"Why does this expired license say La'Shay Johnson?"
"Oh that my momma last name, she call me Shay Shay."
"So La'Shay is short for La'Shitticus? Why is the car registered to Duh'Bonica Stevens?"
"That's my half sister's gramamma's daughter, she go by Auntie Dubs."
"Ok well all of these names have active warrants..."
"Nah I don't know them, everybody call me Pookie."

 

[Milkshake Sniffer]

To be fair (i'm sorry) this is one of those obnoxious offences where people are required to grass up "suspicious activity" of others - like paying in cash. It's correct to say that it's a terrorist offence as it's under the terrorist legislation but not really.

 

[Dickinson's Real Deal]

@Dickinson's Real Deal? Are you available to comment?

Never did trust that darkie.

 

[Whoopsie Daisy]

David dickinson's tan was a terror offence on my eyes. I always thought my colour TV was fucked when he came on screen.

 

[The Skeksis Emperor]

David dickinson's tan was a terror offence on my eyes. I always thought my colour TV was fucked when he came on screen.

That's just how he asserted his dominance, the absolute Chad.

The force said it is the first charge of its kind under section 21A of the Terrorism Act of 2000.

It's been on the books since 2000 and you never had cause to use it? Are you sure it's not a bad charge, then? It's not like there was a dearth of terrorism and terrorism funding in the early 2000s. Curious to see what he actually did, I'm guessing it's a bit of a nitpicky case.

 

[Made In Wales]

That's just how he asserted his dominance, the absolute Chad.


It's been on the books since 2000 and you never had cause to use it? Are you sure it's not a bad charge, then? It's not like there was a dearth of terrorism and terrorism funding in the early 2000s. Curious to see what he actually did, I'm guessing it's a bit of a nitpicky case.

He sold an antique vase for £5 more than he should have?

 

[The Skeksis Emperor]

Update from the Daily Mail. It seems that the charges are probably fair. The guy knew he was selling to a guy who funded terrorism.

Link. / Archive.

Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, told Judge Briony Clarke that Ojiri had sold artwork to a man, named as Mr Ahmad, who is suspected of financing Hezbollah.

Mr Harris told the court: 'Mr Ojiri engaged in selling artwork to a suspected terrorist financier, and at the time of the transactions Mr Ojiri knew that he had been sanctioned in the US.

'There is one discussion where Mr Ojiri is party to a conversation where it was said he had known for years about Mr Ahmad's activities as a suspected terrorist financier.

'On January 10 2022 money laundering regulations came into force bringing the art sector under HMRC supervision.

'Mr Ojiri communicated to a colleague that he knew that these regulations applied to him and his business.

'Over the course of the period, Mr Ojiri dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated sales of artwork, congratulated him on purchases, and the total value of the sales of the artwork was approximately £140,000. The art appears to have been sent to either Dubai or Beirut.'

 

[Made In Wales]

Update from the Daily Mail. It seems that the charges are probably fair. The guy knew he was selling to a guy who funded terrorism.

Link. / Archive.

Oh my...

He's plead guilty as well:

https://www.gbnews.com/celebrity/bbc-bargain-hunt-oghenochuko-ojiri-guilty-hezbollah-terrorism-charges

 

[Milkshake Sniffer]

Update from the Daily Mail. It seems that the charges are probably fair. The guy knew he was selling to a guy who funded terrorism.

Link. / Archive.

Slow down there just a bit. He knew he was selling to a "suspected terrorist financier" The supposed terrorist financier has not been convicted. There's no suggestion that he in any way undervalued what to sold (to effect financial support himself) or an overvalue (which is typical of money laundering). There is no suggestion that he did anything which in any way assisted terrorists or terrorism. What he did was, 1) trade in the normal course of business, 2) with someone the UK Government has decided is a suspected terrorist financier but not prosecuted as such, 3) without telling PC Plod.

I'm not saying he is not guilty under the law as enacted but that doesn't mean that law is fair, justifiable, legitimate, &c. The Government decides who is a terrorist (or suspected terrorist) and it's not a simply transparent objective process. The use of force to cow a civilian population into accepting a political viewpoint is pretty widespread (it's the standard MO of most if not all western governments). It's only those who the government does not approve of that get the terrorist label whereupon you can't do normal innocent business with them without reporting to plod.

If you think this is an overreaction remember that the primary challenger to the UK Govt via the normal electoral political process (Farage) was subjected to an attempt to remove him from society on the basis of his extreme political views (extremism is the label you use when you can't show actual violence). Political parties and leaders across "free liberal democratic" Europe including both Germany and France are similarly being excluded from politics and society. And in the Land of the Free itself they actually went all the way and determined that parents concerned that schools were secretly degenerately sexualising their young children were terrorists.