Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand as the first star witness for the prosecution in the trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel, who is accused of participating in a global campaign-finance conspiracy. Pras is on trial alone, as Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman who allegedly stole billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, to fund the operation, remains at large.
DiCaprio spoke for about an hour on the stand, where he detailed his interactions with Jho Low, who prosecutors said was introduced to the actor by Riza Aziz, the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. Aziz has been charged in Malaysia in connection with the 1MDB corruption scandal.
While on the stand, DiCaprio told jurors about interacting with Pras at a Fugees concert in the 90s, and he added that it's possible that Pras attended a Thanksgiving dinner at his home, but he added that he wasn't entirely sure. At one point, DiCaprio was asked to identify Pras in the courtroom, which led to Pras leaning back and waving at the actor.
Pras is accused of helping Low make donations to political campaigns with the stolen 1MDB money via a series of straw donors, and DiCaprio was asked to recall a conversation with Low about making a large contribution to the Democratic party.
DiCaprio explained, "It was a casual conversation about what party he was in support of, I told him what party I was in support of. And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party,” he said, noting the donation was around $20 million or $30 million. I said 'wow, that’s a lot of money.'"
From there, DiCaprio spoke about Low offering to fund a movie for him, and after extensive background checks, DiCaprio's team gave the actor the go-ahead to make a deal with Low. This led to Low funding "The Wolf of Wall Street," which led to DiCaprio shouting out Low while accepting a Golden Globe for "Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Film."
DiCaprio also testified to Low giving financial support to his environmental foundation, but he added that he stopped speaking to Low in 2015 after it was reported that Low was involved in the Malaysian money scandal. DiCaprio is not facing charges, and has worked with prosecutors to return money he or his charity received from Low in the 1MDB scandal. Prosecutors have also seized assets from "The Wolf of Wall Street," as well as a Picasso painting that Low reportedly gifted DiCaprio.
Source: CNN
