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KUALA LUMPUR – Actor Leonardo DiCaprio told a US court of extravagant parties thrown by Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho, when testifying at the trial of rapper Pras Michel in Washington yesterday.
The 48-year-old Hollywood star, who was a prosecution witness, said he had cut ties with Low in 2015 after allegations surfaced connecting the fugitive businessman with the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
But prior to that, Low had told DiCaprio that the former was going to donate “around 20 to 30 million dollars” to the Democratic Party, the actor testified, as reported by Bloomberg.
“I said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of money,’” DiCaprio was quoted as saying.
Haitian-American Michel, 50, is on trial on charges involving illegal contributions to former president Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to US election campaigns.
His indictment reads: “The object of the conspiracy was for Michel and Jho Low to gain access to, and potential influence with, Candidate A and his administration, by secretly funnelling foreign money from Jho Low through Michel”.
The Grammy award-winning Michel is also facing a charge of secret lobbying connected to the Donald Trump administration to drop investigations against Low over alleged siphoning of funds from 1MDB.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In court, DiCarpio testified that his legal team had done a background check on Low when the latter expressed interest in funding the film “The Wolf of Wall Street”.
DiCaprio said he was “given a green light” by his lawyers, as well as the studios, to accept the funding.
The actor said Low was seen as a “legitimate businessperson”, and also accepted gifts for his environmental foundation from the Penang-born businessman.
He also told the court of the lavish parties thrown by Low on boats and nightclubs, with Michel present on some occasions. – The Vibes, April 4, 2023
