04 April 2023 , 08:19
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Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has testified for the prosecution as part of Pras Michel's 1MDB money laundering trial on Monday morning In Washington, D.C.
The Academy Award winning actor is involved in the federal court case because it is the prosecution's case that money used in his film The Wolf of Wall Street, which was part funded by the man who allegedly masterminded the 1MDB fraud.
Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel is a founding member of 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees and has been accused of using money from fugitive Malaysian financer Jho Low during US presidential election campaigns for Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016 via donors. Pras has vehemently denied the charges.
Prosecutors are accusing Michel of attempting to illegally lobby both presidential administrations by using the millions of dollars that were given to him by Low.
Pras Michel has been accused of using money from fugitive Malaysian financer Jho Low during US presidential election campaigns (Getty Images)Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, is accused of being the main player behind an international money laundering scheme, including bribery, that stole billions of dollars from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund - known as 1MDB.
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Low has maintained his innocence. He is currently a fugitive. Michel is alleged to have used funds from Low's acquired millions from the wealth funds to attempt to influence US elections.
It is alleged that Low directed more than $21.6 million into Michel's accounts from a number of foreign accounts to funnel into Obama's re-election campaign in 2012 between June and November of the same year.
Michel is alleged to have used the money to pay 20 different donors to pay into the campaign coffers in their names to hide the origins of the money.
Jho Low is believed to be the main protagonist behind an international money laundry scheme - known as 1MDB (WireImage)
Low offered primary financing for The Wolf of Wall Street (Future Publishing via Getty Images)DiCaprio, 48, spoke about how he became acquainted with Low when testifying in court in the US capital on Monday morning.
The actor and the fugitive first met at a birthday in Las Vegas in 2010 and built a relationship due to Low's charitable donations to DiCaprio's foundation before offering to provide primary finances for The Wolf of Wall Street.
According to Daily Mail, DiCaprio said: "I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia."
DiCaprio said that he was "given the green light by my team as well as my studio" after testifying that Low's money had been vetted.
He added: "He [Low] was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie."
Low was renowned for lavish trips with often featured celebrity guests which Michel, testified DiCaprio, was present on some of those trips. DiCaprio said he had known Michel since sometime in the 1990s, when they had met backstage after a Fugees concert.
The actor also recalled a conversation with Low about offering funds to Obama's re-election campaign.
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DiCaprio said: "It was a significant sum - something to the tune of $20-$30 million. I said, 'wow that's a lot of money!'"
The Wolf of Wall Street was nominated for five Academy Awards and Low was given a special thanks in the credits of the blockbuster film.
The film's production company, Red Granite, agreed to pay the US government $60million but admitted no wrongdoing as part of a larger effort to seize close to $1.7billion in assets allegedly purchased with stolen 1MDB funds. Red Granite dissolved in 2018.
The trial continues.