Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, Saad Audeh, Emma-Lou Becca and Sebastián Merlos among polo players tied to PDVSA investigation
British authorities have launched an investigation into several polo players from the UK, Argentina, and Uruguay, who are alleged to be involved in a complex money-laundering operation linked to Venezuela’s national oil company, PDVSA. The network, which is suspected of laundering millions in misappropriated funds, is believed to be coordinated by two fugitives, Alessandro Bazzoni and Siri Evjemo-Nysveen.
As reported by Vents Magazine, Alessandro Bazzoni, an Italian businessman heavily involved in oil transportation, is accused of funneling more than $3 billion out of PDVSA using a web of companies, including Elemento LTD, Elemento Oil, AMG S.A.S., and United Petróleo Corp. It is alleged that his wife, Norwegian banker Siri Evjemo-Nysveen, aided in hiding and transferring these funds through a network of intermediaries within the UK polo community.
Evjemo-Nysveen, who held a vice-presidential position at MBaer Merchant Bank in Switzerland, reportedly used her investment firms, CGC One Planet and Clareville Grove Capital LLP, to facilitate these transactions. British polo personality Inez Bethell and Spanish trainer Severo Jesús Jurado López are also believed to have been involved in the scheme, allegedly assisting with forged high-value horse purchases registered under the names of well-known polo players.
In recent weeks, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and National Crime Agency (NCA) have increased efforts in the investigation, interviewing polo players from the UK, Uruguay, and Argentina and gathering records related to their horse acquisitions to verify potential connections to the suspected laundering network controlled by Evjemo-Nysveen and Bazzoni.
The polo players questioned or called to provide statements include:
- Alejandro Pistone
- Angela Moran
- Antonio Heguy
- Benjamin Urquiza
- Charlotte Pykett
- Christopher “Cris” MacKenzie
- David “Pelón” Stirling
- Diego Tomás Cavanagh
- Emma Boers
- Emma Claire Wood
- Emma-Lou Becca
- Facundo Sola
- Guillermo Terrera
- Guillermo “Sapo” Caset
- Hazel Jackson
- Ignacio Novillo Astrada
- Ignacio “Cubi” Toccalino
- James Beim
- James Crossley
- John Paul Clarkin
- Juan Martín Nero
- Juan Martín Zubía
- Kayley Maria Smith
- Lia Salvo
- Lottie Lamacraft
- Lucas “Luquitas” Criado jr.
- Mackenzie Weisz
- Mark Tomlinson
- Matias Gonzalez
- Matt Perry
- Rosanna Turk
- Rosendo Torreguitar
- Ross Ainsley
- Saad Audeh
- Sam Browne
- Sebastián Merlos
- Tamara Fox
The majority of these players participated in events with teams like Monterosso Polo Team and MT Vikings, owned by Bazzoni and Evjemo-Nysveen. Reports suggest that the players received ownership of the horses they used in these tournaments without any payment. These horses were then allegedly sold to other companies or individuals, with the profits directed to accounts under CGC One Planet and Clareville Grove Capital.
Several of these horses, mainly housed at Cowdray Park Polo Club in Midhurst, UK, have since been seized by authorities amid ongoing investigations.
In 2021, both Siri Evjemo-Nysveen and Alessandro Bazzoni were placed on the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list due to their business connections with the Venezuelan government. Recently, two of their associates, Germán Bonelli in Argentina and Erik Roveta in Greece, were apprehended and now face extradition to Venezuela.
