The Wolf of Wall Street Producer charged with laundering $248 million (£198.5 million) from a state investment fund has pleaded not guilty at Kuala Lumpur’s high court today.
Riza Aziz, the stepson of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, is the third person in his family to be charged in the 1MDB scandal that helped end Najib Razak’s government last year.
Riza, 42, was solemn as he appeared in court to be charged with receiving the illicit funds between 2011 and 2012 in the U.S. and Singapore.
The Wolf of Wall Street Producer charged with laundering $248 million (£198.5 million) from a state investment fund has pleaded not guilty at Kuala Lumpur’s high court today
The charge sheets said the money was misappropriated from 1MDB and channelled into bank accounts of Riza’s company Red Granite Pictures Inc., which produced films including Wolf of Wall Street, the Martin Scorsese-directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.
The 2013 film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture.
The money was transferred from Swiss bank accounts of two companies U.S. investigators identified as being linked to 1MDB into Red Granite’s accounts in the United States and Singapore, according to the charge sheets describing the evidence.
Riza has been released on bail. He was charged with five counts of money laundering and could face up to five years in prison, a fine or both, on each count if he is convicted.
Riza Aziz, the stepson of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, is the third person in his family to be charged in the 1MDB scandal that helped end Najib Razak’s government last year
The charge sheets said the money was misappropriated from 1MDB and channelled into bank accounts of Riza’s company Red Granite Pictures Inc., which produced films including Wolf of Wall Street, the Martin Scorsese-directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio (right, Azia left) and Margot Robbie
Aziz, 42, was solemn as he appeared in court to be charged with receiving the illicit funds between 2011 and 2012 in the U.S. and Singapore
Najib set up the 1MDB fund to finance development in Malaysia when he took office in 2009, but it accumulated billions in debts and U.S. investigators allege at least $4.5 billion (£3.6 billion) was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates.
Public anger over the alleged corruption contributed to the shocking election defeat of Najib’s long-ruling coalition in May 2018, and the new government reopened investigations that had been stifled while Najib was in office.
Najib is currently on trial for alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering linked to 1MDB. He denies the charges.
Aziz mingled with stars as a producer on the highly-acclaimed Scorsee-directed Wolf of Wall Street, which won Leonardo DiCaprio (pictured) the Golden Globe for best actor
The money was transferred from Swiss bank accounts of two companies U.S. investigators identified as being linked to 1MDB into Red Granite’s accounts in the United States and Singapore, according to the charge sheets describing the evidence
Riza has been released on bail. He was charged with five counts of money laundering and could face up to five years in prison, a fine or both, on each count if he is convicted
His wife and Riza’s mother, Rosmah Mansor, also has pleaded not guilty to money laundering and tax evasion related to 1MDB but her trial date has not been set.
Riza’s arraignment came a year after he was questioned by Malaysia’s anti-graft agency. U.S. investigators say Red Granite used money stolen from 1MDB to finance Hollywood films.
Red Granite has paid the U.S. government $60 million to settle claims it benefited from the 1MDB scandal, and the U.S. returned the money to Malaysia.
Riza’s sister, Nooryana Najwa, has slammed the legal action against her brother.
Riza’s arraignment came a year after he was questioned by Malaysia’s anti-graft agency. U.S. investigators say Red Granite used money stolen from 1MDB to finance Hollywood films
‘Despite the settlement in the U.S. and the fact that alleged wrongdoings occurred entirely outside of Malaysia, the MACC decides to press charges after a whole year of leaving this case in cold storage. He is not a criminal,’ she wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of her with Riza taken before his arrest.
As well as The Wolf of Wall Street – a 2013 film about a massive stock market scam that netted its perpetrator millions of dollars – it produced the Jim Carrey movie Dumb and Dumber to and Daddy’s Home, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
In May, some $57 million forfeited by Red Granite was returned to Malaysia and put into an account set up to recover money looted from 1MDB.
As well as The Wolf of Wall Street – a 2013 film about a massive stock market scam that netted its perpetrator millions of dollars – it produced the Jim Carrey movie Dumb and Dumber to and Daddy’s Home, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg
In May, some $57 million forfeited by Red Granite was returned to Malaysia and put into an account set up to recover money looted from 1MDB
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had summoned Riza for questioning last year in connection with the investigation into 1MDB
Riza Aziz (right) with Joey McFarland, another producer of the film The Wolf of Wall Street, as they arrive at the 25th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills in 2014
The 1MDB scandal played a major role in Najib’s election loss last year.
Malaysia’s new government has re-opened probes into 1MDB, and Najib went on trial in April over the allegations.
Embattled former prime minister Najib, who founded 1MDB in 2009, and now faces 42 criminal charges related to huge losses at the fund and other state entities, has pleaded not guilty.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had summoned Riza for questioning last year in connection with the investigation into 1MDB.
Last month, Latheefa said Malaysia was looking to recover about $5 billion worth of foreign assets linked to 1MDB.
1MDB is being investigated in at least six countries for alleged money laundering and graft.
Financier Low Taek Jho, known popularly as Jho Low, is a central figure accused of siphoning off around $4.5 billion from the Malaysian government investment fund.
A yacht, a see-through grand piano an original Monet artwork are among some of the lavish items the FBI seized as part of the investigation.
Low allegedly bought more than a dozen properties including a $31 million condominium at the Time Warner Center in New York City, the Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel in California and a mansion in Beverly Hills worth $17.5 million.
Among the items allegedly bought from the state fund by Jho Low was a $250million yacht called the Equanimity that was custom-built and included a movie theatre and a helicopter pad. The FBI seized it in Bali last year
Low also allegedly gave extravagant items including a see-through acrylic grand piano (pictured) to supermodel Miranda Kerr in 2014
Around $200 million was allegedly used to buy artwork by Low, including two Claude Monet paintings (pictures, Monet’s Saint-Georges Majeur) and $179 million Pablo Picasso drawing sold by Christie’s in 2015