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Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies in Malaysian Corruption Probe

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Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies in Malaysian Corruption Probe

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According to a report published Friday in The Washington Post, Leonardo DiCaprio has given secret testimony to a Washington, D.C. grand jury about his role in a multibillion-dollar Malaysian corruption scandal that ensnared the Hollywood star, his film The Wolf of Wall Street, and its production company Red Granite Pictures.

The case centered on Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, and it involves some of the country’s highest-ranking officials as well as some big American investors. Low is accused of stealing and laundering billions of dollars from the investment fund before funding a lobbying effort to have the federal probe dropped.

According to the Washington Post, DiCaprio testified in front of a grand jury in Washington, D.C., because prosecutors saw him as a witness who may shed light on Low Taek Jho’s conduct.

The Malaysian financier implicated in the case is still at large, and he has maintained his innocence through legal representation.

DiCaprio’s representatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment, and a spokeswoman for the US Department of Justice said nothing about the news story.

According to court documents, Low and DiCaprio’s relationship included allowing the actor to play on his tab at the Venetian casino in Las Vegas, giving him artwork, and assisting him in obtaining finance for the successful film The Wolf of Wall Street.

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DiCaprio has previously indicated that he is “entirely supportive of all efforts to assure that justice is done in this matter” and that he is working with the investigation.

In 2018, Low was charged with money laundering and theft in federal court in New York.

DiCaprio’s involvement in the 1MDB affair may be traced back to his friendship with Low in October 2009. Still in his late twenties and rich with $700 million in allegedly stolen 1MDB money, the Malaysian had gone on a wild shopping spree in the United States, frequently splashing millions of dollars at A-list nightclubs in a bid to entice celebrities into his paid-for orbit. In addition to DiCaprio, his spending binge drew in Paris Hilton and Jamie Foxx, and he was rumored to date Miranda Kerr.

Prosecutors attempted to confiscate the film’s earnings in 2016, alleging that it was partly financed with stolen cash channeled through a production firm co-founded by the former Malaysian prime minister’s stepson. In accepting a Golden Globe for his work in the film, DiCaprio praised Low by name.

Prosecutors allege that Low and former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak were among those who stole billions from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a fund intended to benefit Malaysian projects. Prosecutors claim the money was instead spent on opulent things and presents, including artwork, private aircraft, yachts, and Brando’s Oscar for “On the Waterfront.”

The most well-known of the celebrities implicated in the 1MDB issue is Leonardo DiCaprio. On the list is rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, formerly of the Fugees, who is accused of assisting Low in establishing bank accounts to fund his efforts to halt the inquiry. Michel is also said to have sought the help of the owner of an investment firm in order to curry favor with US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Before the US government announced criminal charges against Low and two bankers in November 2018, he got a “special thanks” for his role in funding The Wolf of Wall Street. His current whereabouts is unknown.

Prosecutors confiscated a Picasso artwork from DiCaprio, alleging that it was bought with $3.2 million in stolen cash and presented to him by a Low accomplice.

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