Hollywood Star Says Co-Operating With Investigation Into 1MDB Affair

Tom Burroughes

20 October 2016

In a surreal twist to the saga, Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly has said he is waiting for official guidance about any illicit funds that may have supported one of his charitable causes and his 2013 movie The Wolf of Wall Street.

According to media reports, the actor issued a statement yesterday saying he will return any gifts or donations connected to 1MDB, pending a fraud investigation of that fund by the US and other countries.

1MDB, a state-run fund set up by Malaysia’s current prime minister Najib Razak, is accused of allowing various persons, including Najib, to siphon off money for personal gain. Transactions linked to the fund have already led to two banks, BSI and Falcon Private Bank, being kicked out of Singapore by the local regulator. Authorities in Luxembourg, Switzerland and the US are involved in the matter. In Switzerland, for example, authorities have frozen certain bank accounts. In the US, the Department of Justice (DoJ) claims at least $3.5 billion has been stolen from 1MDB. The DoJ has taken action to recover $1.3 billion it says was taken from the fund to buy US assets.

1MDB has denied wrongdoing.

One of the objects of money taken from 1MDB, it is alleged, is the financing of The Wolf of Wall Street, according to federal government complaints filed in Los Angeles in July.