One last mistake from Donald Trump: The United States imposed sanctions on two Italian companies by mistake.

WASHINGTON, DC – Donald Trump may have saved a fatal mistake to the end. On his last day in office, the government quickly imposed sanctions – albeit against the wrong people. In fact, it should have infected an Italian man accused of having business ties with the state oil company of Venezuela (PDVSA). Instead, a Verona pizzeria and graphic design studio in Sardinia are blacklisted.

Donald Trump has sanctioned a pizzeria and graphic designer in Italy

In 2019, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the PDSVA to force President Nicolas Maduro to his knees and resign. The United States accuses the Socialist Party of corruption, human rights violations and rigging in the elections. Individuals with ties to the Venezuelan government are also affected. On January 19, 2021, restaurant owner Alessandro Pazzoni from Italy discovered during a visit to his bank that he was also being punished – for having the same name as a businessman who may have had connections in the South American state. “When I heard that my accounts were blocked, I thought it was a joke,” Pazoni told the daily Corriere della Sera. “These are tough times for restaurant owners anyway. The last thing I need is blocked accounts.”

Bazoni solved the problem himself by entering his “data on a US government digital platform.” He is said to have obtained a visa by 2023. The studio in Sardinia also confirmed to the “Guardian” that he would be subject to penalties.

The United States imposed sanctions on the wrong companies

According to the entry on US Treasury Department website On March 31, both the pizzeria and graphic design studio were removed from the “blacklist”. An official told Reuters the agency had made a mistake and had imposed sanctions on the wrong people.

Al-Bazouni did not receive any apology and “no problem.” “It is important that you remove my name from this list,” he told the daily Corriere della Sera. “I thank the new US government for the competence with which it has stepped in.” (Lucas Rogala)