Siri Evjemo-Nysveen and Alessandro Bazzoni remain the last fugitives in PDVSA corruption scandal

Following the arrest of Francisco de Pinto Chimienti and Domenica de Pinto Chimienti at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, accused of embezzling $10 million from the Venezuelan government through a project involving plastic gas cylinders, only Alessandro Bazzoni and his wife, Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, remain at large in the ongoing corruption investigation linked to Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA.

The Pinto Chimienti siblings were apprehended under an active Interpol red notice, which was enforced on September 14 at the Bogotá airport. Through their company, Gavenplast C.A., they secured loans from institutions such as Bancoex, Bandes, and Banco de Venezuela to fund a project aimed at improving gas distribution with plastic cylinders. They managed to receive around $10 million in loans and subsidies, none of which have been repaid, and no proof exists that the promised gas cylinders were ever produced. The contracts were authorized by former PDVSA president Eulogio del Pino.

As the Pinto Chimienti siblings await extradition to Venezuela, attention now shifts to Italian national Alessandro Bazzoni and Norwegian Siri Evjemo-Nysveen. The couple, who currently reside in London, are the last remaining fugitives tied to the PDVSA corruption case, which has already led to the arrest of over 50 individuals since last year.

Bazzoni, through his companies Elemento LTD, Elemento Oil, AMG S.A.S., and United Petróleo Corp, acquired oil tankers from Venezuela on credit, with the total value estimated at approximately $3 billion, none of which was ever paid. He worked closely with Colonel Antonio Pérez Suárez and former Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, both of whom are now under arrest. Bazzoni’s associates, Italian Erik Roveta and Argentine Germán Bonelli, were also arrested in Greece and Argentina, respectively, and are awaiting extradition to Venezuela, having acted as his financial facilitators.

A key player in Bazzoni's operations is his wife, Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, who holds the position of vice president at MBaer Merchant Bank, a subsidiary of the Swiss bank Julius Bär. It was through this financial institution that the stolen PDVSA funds were laundered into European banks.

From MBaer, Evjemo-Nysveen managed financial portfolios for Venezuelan political figures, earning sizable commissions that helped increase the couple's wealth, much of which originated from their dealings in Venezuela.

A significant part of this fortune was used to buy the Italian football team S.P.A.L., where Alessandro's brother, Lorenzo Bazzoni, serves as president. However, the couple's most extravagant expense has been their investment in luxury polo horses. Through companies like CGC One Planet and Clareville Grove Capital, Evjemo-Nysveen owns the Monterosso Polo Team and MT Vikings.

With help from agents like British influencer Inez Bethell (Evjemo-Nysveen’s partner at Cowdray Park Polo Club) and Spanish trainer Severo López Jurado, the couple purchased several overpriced polo horses (such as George Clooney I, Tophojs Diadora, San Mateo and Riba Roja, among others). These horses were registered under the names of well-known European and South American polo players, who acted as intermediaries for the couple. This group of athletes, including Sebastián Merlos, Juan Martín Zubía, Chris McKenzie,Angela Moran,James Beim, Guillermo Terrera, Emma-Lou Becca, Tamara Fox, Diego Cavanagh, James Beim, Kayley Maria Smith, Emma Boers, Emma Claire Wood, Antonio Heguy, Lottie Lamacraft, Benjamin Urquiza, Hazel Jackson, David “Pelón” Stirling, Guillermo “Sapo” Caset,Juan Martín Nero, Lia Salvo, Ignacio “Cubi” Toccalino,Mark Tomlinson and Mackenzie Weisz, were called by British authorities this past summer to explain their ties to the couple and the origins of the funds used to buy the horses.

Since 2021, both Alessandro Bazzoni and Siri Evjemo-Nysveen have been on the U.S. Treasury Department’s (OFAC) sanctions list for conducting business with the Venezuelan government, despite international sanctions. In 2023, Venezuela issued an Interpol red notice for their arrest, further confirming their fugitive status.