Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio long kept mum about his connections to people involved in the Malaysian corruption scandal. With public pressure mounting, he's now agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities.
Leonardo DiCaprio has agreed to return any gifts or donations connected to 1MDB, the Malaysian state fund, which is the focus of global investigations, «Bloomberg» reported yesterday.
The U.S. Justice Department says that at least $3.5 billion have been stolen from the fund by people close to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. DiCaprio is a friend of some of the people who allegedly have filled their coffers.
Successful NGO Campaign
Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), the environmental pressure group which repeatedly called on DiCaprio to come clean about his links to the corrupt people in the Asian country, welcomed the statement by the U.S. actor. In a statement on its Website, the NGO demanded that DiCaprio go further and fully disclose his financial ties to Jho Low, Riza Aziz and the film production company Red Granite Pictures.
Aziz is the stepson of Prime Minister Razak. He is said to have started Red Granite with the help of 1MDB cash. Aziz financed «Wolf of Wall Street», a film starring DiCaprio. Low is a close friend of Aziz. He was appointed consultant to 1MDB, but mainly caught the headlines throwing lavish parties and spending million on yachts, gambling and luxury apartments.
Not So Golden
BMF, a Swiss NGO campaigning against corruption in Malaysia, on Monday held a press conference in London, piling pressure on DiCaprio to disclose his ties to corrupt individuals and companies in detail.
They also asked him to relinquish his position as a United Nations 'Messenger of Peace'. DiCaprio was awarded the Golden Globe for his performance in «Wolf of Wall Street».
