DiCaprio says he’s ready to pay back 1MDB money if found fishy
“Hollywood Actor 1” Leonardo DiCaprio said he will work with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) after he found himself in a tight corner in a corruption investigation into Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Allegations are that both the Hollywood actor’s environmental charity foundation and his movie The Wolf of Wall Street have allegedly received money siphoned off 1MDB. In July, Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures was charged with using $100 million allegedly diverted from the 1MDB fund to finance Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie, in which DiCaprio starred.
The actor said he was ready to give back all the money and any gifts he received if the investigation reveals it came from people or organisations involved in corrupt practices, according to DiCaprio’s representative. Overall, DiCaprio is reported to have received $25 million plus other contributions such as €1 million he and his friends reportedly gambled away in Las Vegas casinos.
In Hollywood, observers commented that he is well advised to cooperate since the entire 1MDB scandal is of such a massive scale that any involvement in wrongdoings could result in hefty fines and even jail time.
The Oscar-winning actor has been embroiled in the 1MDB issue because of his association with Jho Low, a Malaysian financier and a one of 1MDB’s creators, and others connected to the film, including Riza Aziz, co-founder of Red Granite Pictures and stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Last week, Switzerland’s Bruno Manser Fund called on DiCaprio to step down from the position as a United Nations “Messenger of Peace for Climate Change” amid possible ties to the alleged fraud.
DiCaprio’s relenting is widely attributed to the actions of Bruno Manser Fund’s executive director Lukas Straumann, whose protests in London last week made media like Hollywood Reporter and Guardian sit up and take notice. Meanwhile, the affair has been widely reported around the globe.
Straumann says he welcomes DiCaprio’s announcement but called on the actor to fully disclose his financial ties to Low, Aziz and Red Granite Pictures.
“DiCaprio’s public statement leaves key questions open,” Straumann says, adding that the question remained of “how much money did Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation get from Politically Exposed Persons from Malaysia and why didn’t he conduct due diligence upon receiving these funds?”
"Hollywood Actor 1" Leonardo DiCaprio said he will work with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) after he found himself in a tight corner in a corruption investigation into Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Allegations are that both the Hollywood actor's environmental charity foundation and his movie The Wolf of Wall Street have allegedly received money siphoned off 1MDB. In July, Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures was charged with using $100 million allegedly diverted from the 1MDB fund to finance Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie, in which DiCaprio starred. The actor said he was ready to give...
“Hollywood Actor 1” Leonardo DiCaprio said he will work with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) after he found himself in a tight corner in a corruption investigation into Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Allegations are that both the Hollywood actor’s environmental charity foundation and his movie The Wolf of Wall Street have allegedly received money siphoned off 1MDB. In July, Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures was charged with using $100 million allegedly diverted from the 1MDB fund to finance Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie, in which DiCaprio starred.
The actor said he was ready to give back all the money and any gifts he received if the investigation reveals it came from people or organisations involved in corrupt practices, according to DiCaprio’s representative. Overall, DiCaprio is reported to have received $25 million plus other contributions such as €1 million he and his friends reportedly gambled away in Las Vegas casinos.
In Hollywood, observers commented that he is well advised to cooperate since the entire 1MDB scandal is of such a massive scale that any involvement in wrongdoings could result in hefty fines and even jail time.
The Oscar-winning actor has been embroiled in the 1MDB issue because of his association with Jho Low, a Malaysian financier and a one of 1MDB’s creators, and others connected to the film, including Riza Aziz, co-founder of Red Granite Pictures and stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Last week, Switzerland’s Bruno Manser Fund called on DiCaprio to step down from the position as a United Nations “Messenger of Peace for Climate Change” amid possible ties to the alleged fraud.
DiCaprio’s relenting is widely attributed to the actions of Bruno Manser Fund’s executive director Lukas Straumann, whose protests in London last week made media like Hollywood Reporter and Guardian sit up and take notice. Meanwhile, the affair has been widely reported around the globe.
Straumann says he welcomes DiCaprio’s announcement but called on the actor to fully disclose his financial ties to Low, Aziz and Red Granite Pictures.
“DiCaprio’s public statement leaves key questions open,” Straumann says, adding that the question remained of “how much money did Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation get from Politically Exposed Persons from Malaysia and why didn’t he conduct due diligence upon receiving these funds?”
