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Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has given proof in a world cash laundering and bribery trial.
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel – a founding member of Nineties hip-hop group The Fugees – is going through trial in Washington DC accused of funnelling cash from fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho.
It’s alleged Michel basically turned a conduit for Low’s hundreds of thousands and his makes an attempt to affect the US authorities by making donations to Barack Obama‘s 2012 re-election marketing campaign.
5 years later, prosecutors say Michel tried to halt an investigation into the financier underneath Donald Trump’s administration.
The rapper, who received two Grammy Awards for The Fugees’ 1996 album The Rating, denies all 11 felony counts.
‘Pras’ Michel arrives at court docket in Washington. Pic: AP
DiCaprio‘s reference to the case stems from his years-long relationship with Low, who was a major financier on DiCaprio’s 2013 movie The Wolf Of Wall Road.
The 48-year-old actor stated he had recognized Michel because the Nineties, once they met backstage after a Fugees live performance.
Low is accused of masterminding a world cash laundering and bribery scheme that stole billions from the Malaysian state funding fund often known as 1MDB.
Answering questions calmly from the witness field, DiCaprio stated he befriended Low at a Las Vegas party in 2010 and “understood him to be an enormous businessman with many alternative connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia”.
Low turned an everyday contributor to DiCaprio’s charitable basis, however the Oscar-winning actor maintained that Low’s funding and legitimacy was fastidiously vetted earlier than getting into right into a enterprise relationship.
“I used to be given the inexperienced mild by my crew in addition to my studio,” DiCaprio stated. “He was a official enterprise particular person desirous to put money into the film.”
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DiCaprio additionally recalled a “informal dialog” with Low during which the financier stated he supposed to make a big contribution to Mr Obama’s re-election marketing campaign.
“It was a major sum – one thing to the tune of 20-30 million {dollars},” he informed the listening to. “I stated: ‘Wow, that is some huge cash!'”
Prosecutors allege that from June to November 2012, Low directed greater than $21.6m (£17.4m) to be moved from international entities to Michel’s accounts to funnel cash into the 2012 presidential election.
The indictment in opposition to Michel stated he paid about 20 straw donors – people who illegally use one other particular person’s cash to make a political contribution in their very own title – so they might make conceal the place the cash got here from.
Michel’s legal professionals are anticipated to argue that he didn’t know he was performing as a international agent.
The trial continues.
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