Alessandro Bazzoni is the owner of the Monterosso polo team, a prestigious competitor in the renowned Queen’s Cup in England, an event that attracts high society, royalty, and European magnates.
The oil management of Tareck El Aissami was made possible by an international network of operators who used various tactics to challenge United States sanctions. One of them, Italian businessman Alessandro Bazzoni, used corruption to amass a fortune… pic.twitter.com/vyNx6AR7co
— CastoOcando.com (@cocando) October 25, 2023
However, according to a report by journalist Casto Ocando, Italian businessman Alessandro Bazzoni‘s fortune does not come from legitimate business activities but from shady operations linked to the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, which have been flagged as corrupt. This led to his sanctioning by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2021. According to U.S. authorities, Bazzoni replaced Colombian businessman Alex Saab, known as a frontman for Nicolás Maduro, in the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil worldwide. Additionally, in Venezuela, Bazzoni faces an arrest warrant for his prominent role in the PDVSA Cripto scandal, which resulted in billions of dollars in fraud related to Venezuelan oil exports.
Authorities confirm that Bazzoni partnered with the then head of PDVSA’s marketing, Colonel Antonio Pérez Suárez, in a fraud scheme that totaled around $400 million. Colonel Pérez Suárez played a crucial role and was linked to Tareck El Aissami, who was sanctioned by the U.S. for his support of global narcoterrorism. Bazzoni and Pérez Suárez operated with the approval of Tareck El Aissami, who had absolute control over PDVSA’s operations as the “oil czar” of Venezuela.
Nevertheless, Alessandro Bazzoni was not alone in this large-scale corruption scheme. His wife, Norwegian banker Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, participated in these fraudulent operations. Siri, founder of Clareville Grove Capital LLP, also served on the board of the Swiss bank MBaer Merchant Bank. However, in early 2023, she was removed from the board due to the disclosure of her husband Alessandro Bazzoni’s connections to the PDVSA scandal. Although it remains unclear whether Siri Evjemo-Nysveen assisted her husband in using MBaer Merchant Bank to launder money obtained through PDVSA fraud, this matter is under investigation.
Alessandro Bazzoni, of Italian origin, resides in Lugano, Switzerland, with his wife. In addition to his involvement in the polo world, he has ventured into Italian football by acquiring the S.P.A.L. team in Ferrara, alongside his brother Lorenzo Bazzoni. They not only purchased the team but also the Paolo Mazza Stadium, which now serves as the new home of the Serie C club. Bazzoni appointed Italian-American lawyer Joe Tacopina as the team president, known for representing Donald Trump. Ironically, Donald Trump was the U.S. president who placed Bazzoni on the Treasury Department’s blacklist.