BBC Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri charged with terrorism after Met Police investigation
He's been charged following an investigation into terrorist financing.
Bargain Hunt star Ochuko Ojiri has been charged by the Metropolitan Police following an investigation into terrorist financing.
The art dealer, 53, has made regular appearances on the BBC programme as well as Antiques Road Trip.
It’s now been revealed he has become the first person to be charged with a specific offence under Section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Ojiri, from 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, a Met Police statement reveals.
He’s been charged with eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector.
The charges relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021.
They were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service following an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the Met’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, the force said.
The Treasury, HMRC and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit were all also involved in the probe.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 9.
He regularly appears on Bargain Hunt (Picture: BBC)Described as an ‘expert’ in a Bargain Hunt Q&A on the BBC’s website, Ojiri said he was ‘absolutely obsessed’ with collecting contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings.
He also discusses his role and says his favourite parts of it are ‘meeting new people, and breathing new life and context into forgotten and neglected treasures’.
When asked why he chose a career in antiques, he said: ‘No other industry would accept my rare mixture of sarcasm, cynicism and passion.’
He also said he had ‘no idea’ why he became involved in Bargain Hunt, and would want to work in ‘forecast trends’ if not in antiques.
‘You’re literally looking into the future, deciding what you’ll eat before you’re even hungry. Mind blowing.’
Metro has approached the Met Police and Ojiri for comment.
Bargain Hunt is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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