‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Producer Arrested in Malaysia

Riza Aziz, a Hollywood producer whose credit embrace Martin Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street” and the Will Ferrell comedy “Daddy’s Home,” was arrested in Malaysia on Thursday to face money-laundering fees, the Financial Times reported.

Aziz, the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, is due in court docket on Friday within the Malaysian capital of  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission head Latheefa Koya informed the New York Times.

An legal professional for Aziz didn’t instantly reply to TheWrap’s request for remark.

Aziz has been embroiled in a long-running scandal involving the disappearance of as much as $4.5 billion from a authorities funding fund known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad that was managed by Razak, who was defeated on the polls final yr within the wake of the information.

Also Read: FBI Seeks ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Proceeds in $1 Billion Asset Seizure

In addition to the brand new fees towards Aziz, his stepfather has been charged with abuse of energy, breach of belief and cash laundering whereas his mom, Rosmah Mansor, faces fees for cash laundering and tax evasion. Both have denied the fees.

The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Aziz of misappropriating 1MDB funds to buy luxurious actual property and finance his Red Granite manufacturing firm, which has financed such movies because the Oscar-nominated “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Daddy’s Home” and “Dumb and Dumber To.”

Last yr, Red Granite paid a $60 million to the U.S. authorities to settle a civil lawsuit involving the funds for all three studio movies. According to the Financial Times, $57 million of that mount was returned to Malaysia.