Leonardo DiCaprio | Goh Lo | The largest corruption case in Malaysia in which even Leonardo DiCaprio testified | world

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The architect of the scandal is Malaysian financial tycoon Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low. He is accused of masterminding an international scheme that stole billions from 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad), a state fund set up in 2009 with the alleged aim of increasing foreign investment to boost development in the Southeast Asian country.

According to the Spanish newspaper “El Pais”, suspicions about strange financial transactions from the fund began in 2015 and even the then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was involved, after he was accused of using hundreds of millions of public funds to finance his campaign for re-election and pay politicians’ salaries, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. years old in the year 2020. Razak has always claimed that he was deceived by Lou.

According to the US Department of Justice, more than $4.5 billion has been stolen from the fund. Of this amount, Low spent $1 billion.

Celebrity names began to crop up in 2016, after US authorities announced a court offensive to recover millions of dollars in Malaysian public funds that Low had diverted from 1MDB, whose downfall is irrefutable: today he is an international fugitive.

The Malaysian businessman used the money to pay for his lavish lifestyle and cohabitation with celebrities. Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio became the first star witness to take the stand in connection with the case on the third Monday. Specifically, he testified in New York at the trial of former rapper Bracazzril “Brass” Michel, who is accused of participating in a global campaign financing scheme led by Law.

Michelle is a founding member of the 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, known for songs like “Ready or Not” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song”.

DiCaprio said he met Michelle backstage after a Fugees concert sometime in the 1990s. The actor testified in the case primarily because of his ties to Low, whom he befriended at a birthday party in Las Vegas in 2010.

Parties, movies and eccentricities

Before living on the run, Lu had lived a life of luxury. In addition to buying luxury real estate in Manhattan and Hollywood, he’s used to hosting lavish parties filled with celebrities from all over the world, including Michelle, and group vacations on his private jet for events like the World Cup in Brazil.

DiCaprio told the jury what the parties, which Low financed with money looted from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, were like. He recounted a particular trip where they traveled from Australia to the United States on a private jet to celebrate New Year’s Eve twice in one day. DiCaprio said that Michelle was present on some of these trips.

Law gave the “Titanic” star gifts, including a Picasso painting worth $3.2 million and a collage by Jean-Michel Basquiat worth $9.2 million. The businessman has also been a regular donor to the DiCaprio Foundation. The actor, who returned all the gifts he received, is not charged with any crime.

The Malaysian was one of the main financiers of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, a 2013 film starring DiCaprio.

“My team and the studios gave me the green light to accept Low’s financing,” DiCaprio said. “It means the background check was fine and they considered you a legitimate business person.”

Influencing US policy?

Specifically, Michelle is accused of diverting stolen Lew millions through high-profile donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Justice accuses Lou of trying to influence the United States government. According to the indictment filed by prosecutors, from June to November 2012, Low ordered the transfer of more than $21.6 million from foreign entities into Michelle’s accounts to funnel money toward the 2012 presidential election.

Authorities say Michel then paid around 20 fake donors and channels so they could make the donations under their own names and really hide the source of the money.

Other witnesses testified that Michelle had approached them about making hidden contributions to the Obama campaign. Richard Krumica, an investment banker, said Michel told him he had reached his legal limit for his contribution and asked Krumica and her husband, Joseph, to make a donation on his behalf. Krumica said Michel sent the couple $80,000 as a donation.

DiCaprio recalled a “casual conversation” with Law in which Law told him he intended to make a significant contribution to Obama’s re-election campaign.

“It was a significant number, something like 20 or 30 million dollars,” he testified. I said, “Wow, that’s a lot of money!” “