By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
AN antiques expert who has appeared on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt has been charged with offences linked to terrorist financing.
Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, faces eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business in the regulated sector, according to the Metropolitan Police. The charges fall under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He is the first person to be charged with this specific offence, the Met said in a statement.
The alleged offences took place between October 2020 and December 2021. The Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charges following an investigation by the Met’s National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit.
The Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and the Met’s Arts and Antiques Unit also assisted in the inquiry.
The Met said Ojiri, who lives in west London, is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
In a statement, the BBC said: “”It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Ojiri is listed on the Bargain Hunt website as one of the programme’s experts. He is a freelance presenter rather than a BBC employee and has also featured on Antiques Road Trip and Channel 5’s Storage: Flog the Lot!
He has not appeared on BBC programmes since 2023.
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