Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, wife of Italian businessman Alessandro Bazzoni and linked to the corruption scandal at Venezuelan state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), has recently purchased two Olympic dressage horses, each costing over one million dollars. This transaction has raised suspicions among European authorities, who suspect that these funds may originate from money laundering linked to PDVSA.
Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, previously a board member of MBaer Merchant Bank, was recently removed from her position due to her connections with corruption involving the Venezuelan state company. Additionally, she is known for her involvement with the Monterosso Polo Team and her passion for equestrian sports, which has been widely reported in various media outlets. Diadora and George Clooney – the name of the newly acquired horses now belong to her collection.
Tophojs Diadora is a 7-year-old Danish warmblood mare, descending from Hesselhoj Donkey Boy and La Donna (by Blue Hors Don Romantic). Bred by Anette Nilausen and Niels Jorgen Johansen, this bay mare started her training with Spanish-Danish rider Eric Guardia Martínez. In her debut in August 2020, Diadora participated in the Danish Young Horse Championship qualifier and achieved victory in the semifinals in September. However, she did not compete in the national finals in October.
A year later, Diadora was selected to represent Denmark at the 2021 Young Horse World Championship in Verden, where she placed 14th in the final. Two months later, she secured an eighth place in the 5-year-old category at the 2021 Danish Young Horse Championship.
In March 2022, Diadora was sold to a mysterious buyer and began training under Severo Jurado López. Although she was expected to be ready for the WCYH 2022, Jurado never took her to compete. Initially, it was thought that the buyer was Jennifer Nagel, a German client of Severo, but it later emerged that the Norwegian Siri Evjemo-Nysveen had purchased the mare. In addition to her previous role as vice president on the board of MBaer Swiss Mercantile Bank, Siri is also a founding partner of Clareville Grove Capital LLP, an investment research firm based in London.
George Clooney de Siri Evjemo-Nysveen
Evjemo-Nysveen’s first major investment in dressage horses occurred in 2020 when she purchased the licensed stallion George Clooney from the prestigious Van Olst horses. She decided to send the stallion for training with Severo Jurado López in Denmark as well. A year later, the horse was moved to the UK, where Siri herself competed with him for the first time at the advanced level in the Bury Farm event in November 2021. Subsequently, the horse returned to Denmark, where Severo presented him in January and February 2022, while Siri competed with him at the CDN Hedested. They made their international debut at the 2022 CDI Herning in March. The duo later returned to the UK to participate in the renowned CDI events at Wellington Heckfield and Hartpury.
Regarding Alessandro Bazzoni, Evjemo-Nysveen’s husband, he is the subject of an intense search by Venezuelan authorities due to his connection to the corruption network in PDVSA led by Tareck El Aissami. Along with his associates Joaquín Leal Jimenez, Erik Roveta, and José Luis Chávez Calva, they form a quartet of foreign operators tasked with investigating Venezuelan police forces. This situation has generated significant interest and attention in legal and political circles.