What does Leonardo DiCaprio have to do with Prakazrel “Pras” Michel? The actor testified at the international money laundering trial involving the rap artist

The presence of Leonardo DiCaprio on the witness stand in the federal court in Washington surprised those present in recent days. And that is that the 48-year-old actor is the main witness in the international money laundering trial of rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, an event considered the biggest corruption scandal in Malaysia.

But what does the main character of “The Wolf of Wall Street” have to do with this network of corruption, many wonder.

The name DiCaprio is just one of the many celebrities who will have to testify before the US Department of Justice to clarify the global conspiracy led by Jho Low to finance political campaigns, including that of Donald Trump and previously Barack Obama, review The State of Spain.

Despite the fact that he was not charged with any crime, Leonardo DiCaprio attended as a witness on April 3, 2023, where he naturally answered the questions of the prosecutor Nicole Lockhart for at least an hour, according to the Spanish media in one of their announcements. .

What is Leonardo DiCaprio’s relationship with Prakazrel “Pras” Michel?

The Hollywood actor met Prakazrel “Pras” Michel in the 1990s, when he attended a concert of his group “The Fugees” to which the rapper belonged, AP News reminds.

The singer is currently accused of participating in a political campaign financing scheme run by Malaysian businessman Jho Low. He is also charged with taking advantage of an alleged embezzlement scheme.

International media mention that Low, through “Pras” Michael, donated two million dollars to the re-election campaign of Barack Obama in 2012, hiding the origin of the funds, which is prohibited by federal election law.

Prosecutors also say the rapper pocketed $70 million when he launched a campaign to convince the Trump administration to drop its investigation into Low.

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This case of money laundering emerged in 2008 after the Malaysian government created a sovereign wealth fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). It had the purpose of developing the Asian country. But since 2015, the fund has been under scrutiny for suspicious financial transactions, he explains. Earth.

Due to this fact, the Department of Justice of the United States and half a dozen other countries are investigating the network of corruption and money laundering of Jho Low, who became a close friend of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Low, who is currently on the run, bought lavish properties in Hollywood, threw lavish parties and spared no expense in gifting various celebrities. In the case of Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor received a Picasso as a gift and also received funding for the film “The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2013.

Other celebrities such as Mirada Kerr, Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears or Robert De Niro are also on the list of Jho Low winners.

Since 2016, DiCaprio began to cooperate with the judiciary and assured that he will return all the money and gifts suspected of coming from the Malaysian fund managed by Joh Low, whom he met in 2010, at a party thanks to the stepson of the former prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak .

This last character was also charged in his own country and sentenced to 12 years in prison for the same case.

“I understood that he was a big businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia,” DiCaprio said in his April 3 jury testimony. (AND)