The lawsuit also says Aziz and at least two other financiers wired nearly $25-million dollars to pay Las Vegas gambling debts, and spent millions on private jets, jewelers and interior designers.
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It sounds like a pitch for The Wolf Of Wall Street 2: Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a series of lawsuits alleging that Malaysian officials had misappropriated more than $3.5 billion from 1Malaysia Development Bhd., a fund created to invest in the Malaysian economy.
It has been alleged that up to $6bn was misappropriated from the fund – and that the money was used to sustain the lavish lifestyles of a number of individuals who are connected to Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak. In a statement released yesterday, the company says, “To Red Granite’s knowledge, none of the funding it received four years ago was in any way illegitimate and there is nothing in today’s civil lawsuit claiming that Red Granite knew otherwise”.
“Red Granite continues to co-operate fully with all inquiries and is confident that when the facts come out, it will be clear that Riza Aziz and Red Granite did nothing wrong”.
According to the 136-page civil complaint filed by the U.S. Justice Department, between June 2012 and November 2012, an investment firm tied to 1MDB sent 238 million dollars to an account controlled by Aziz.
More than $100 million of 1MDB’s money was illegally used to produce “The Wolf of Wall Street“, according to the feds.
Federal officials say the funds laundered into the US for the benefit of 1MDB officials and their associates were used to pay for property including Manhattan penthouses and Beverly Hills mansions; to settle gambling debts at Las Vegas casinos; and to pay for a London interior decorator, expensive paintings and the production of films, including the 2013 Oscar-nominated movie “The Wolf of Wall Street“.
Although lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio is not specifically implicated, he is referred to several times as “Hollywood Actor 1” and is believed to have witnessed the use of embezzled funds in gambling activities during a 2012 trip to Las Vegas’ Venetian casino. They clearly have their suspicions, though:Deadline quotes Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division as saying that the DoJ is looking to seize any future royalties Red Granite might receive from the film.
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The Martin Scorsese film starring Academy Award victor Leonardo DiCaprio made almost $400 million worldwide at the box office. It was nominated for five Academy Awards. The justice department claims the Malaysian people never saw a dime.
