Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has returned his Oscar won by Marlon Brando, along with other gifts, to U.S investigators, amid an inquiry into a multi-billion dollar money laundering scheme involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
U.S authorities are seeking to recover billions of money and assets allegedly stolen by a businessmen with political connections in Malaysia.
The scandal has exposed Prime Minister Nijab Razak in charges of corruptions, which he has denied.
A spokesman for DiCaprio said in a statement that the 42-year-old actor had contacted the US Justice Department last July after learning of a civil action against “certain parties involved in the making of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,'” a movie in which DiCaprio starred.
He offered to surrender to US authorities any gifts “from the parties named in the civil complaint.”
DiCaprio “initiated return of these items,” said the statement provided to AFP. It said he did so before the US government on Thursday filed a new complaint that cited the Red Granite production company behind “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
“He has also returned an Oscar originally won by Marlon Brando, which was given to Mr DiCaprio as a set gift by Red Granite to thank him for his work on The Wolf of Wall Street.”
