KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian producer of the Leonardo DiCaprio-starred film “The Wolf of Wall Street” was arrested Thursday on suspicion of money laundering as part of investigations into the 1MDB scandal, officials said.
Riza Aziz was detained in Malaysia after questioning by graft investigators and will appear in court Friday to face charges, said Latheefa Koya, head of the anti-corruption agency.
Riza is the stepson of Malaysia’s disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak, and the son of the country’s former first lady Rosmah Mansor. Both Najib and Rosmah have been charged over the plundering of state fund 1MDB.
“I confirm (Riza) has been arrested today and was released on bail,” Latheefa said, adding he would face charges under laws related to money-laundering.
A second agency official, who spoke anonymously, also said the arrest was linked to investigations into 1MDB.
Billions of dollars were looted from the investment vehicle, allegedly by Najib and his cronies, and spent on everything from yachts to pricey artwork in a globe-spanning fraud.
Riza co-founded the Hollywood company Red Granite Pictures, and US officials allege that it was bankrolled by huge sums of pilfered 1MDB cash.
As well as the “Wolf of Wall Street” — a 2013 film about a massive stock market scam that netted its perpetrator millions of dollars — it produced the Jim Carrey movie “Dumb and Dumber to” and “Daddy’s Home,” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
In May, some $57 million forfeited by Red Granite was returned to Malaysia and put into an account set up to recover money looted from 1MDB.
The 1MDB scandal played a major role in Najib’s election loss last year.
Malaysia’s new government has re-opened probes into 1MDB, and Najib went on trial in April over the allegations.
The US Department of Justice, which is seeking to seize assets bought with 1MDB money in the US, believes some $4.5 billion was looted from the fund.
Hollywood producer arrested in Malaysia over 1MDB scandal
Hollywood producer arrested in Malaysia over 1MDB scandal
- Riza Aziz co-founded the Hollywood company Red Granite Pictures, which produced The Wolf of Wall Street
- In May, some $57 million forfeited by Red Granite was returned to Malaysia
India, Arab League target $500bn in trade by 2030
- It was the first such gathering of India–Arab FMs since the forum’s inauguration in 2016
- India and Arab states agree to link their startup ecosystems, cooperate in the space sector
NEW DELHI: India and the Arab League have committed to doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, as their top diplomats met in New Delhi for the India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The foreign ministers’ forum is the highest mechanism guiding India’s partnership with the Arab world. It was established in March 2002, with an agreement to institutionalize dialogue between India and the League of Arab States, a regional bloc of 22 Arab countries from the Middle East and North Africa.
The New Delhi meeting on Saturday was the first gathering in a decade, following the inaugural forum in Bahrain in 2016.
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said in his opening remarks that the forum was taking place amid a transformation in the global order.
“Nowhere is this more apparent than in West Asia or the Middle East, where the landscape itself has undergone a dramatic change in the last year,” he said. “This obviously impacts all of us, and India as a proximate region. To a considerable degree, its implications are relevant for India’s relationship with Arab nations as well.”
Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart co-chaired the talks, which aimed at producing a cooperation agenda for 2026-28.
“It currently covers energy, environment, agriculture, tourism, human resource development, culture and education, amongst others,” Jaishankar said.
“India looks forward to more contemporary dimensions of cooperation being included, such as digital, space, start-ups, innovation, etc.”
According to the “executive program” released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the roadmap agreed by India and the League outlined their planned collaboration, which included the target “to double trade between India and LAS to US$500 billion by 2030, from the current trade of US$240 billion.”
Under the roadmap, they also agreed to link their startup ecosystems by facilitating market access, joint projects, and investment opportunities — especially health tech, fintech, agritech, and green technologies — and strengthen cooperation in space with the establishment of an India–Arab Space Cooperation Working Group, of which the first meeting is scheduled for next year.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing momentum in Indo-Arab relations focused on economic, business, trade and investment ties between the regions that have some of the world’s youngest demographics, resulting in a “commonality of circumstances, visions and goals,” according to Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“The focus of the summit meeting was on capitalizing on the economic opportunities … including in the field of energy security, sustainability, renewables, food and water security, environmental security, trade, investments, entrepreneurship, start-ups, technological innovations, educational cooperation, cultural cooperation, youth engagement, etc.,” Quamar told Arab News.
“A number of critical decisions have been taken for furthering future cooperation in this regard. In terms of opportunities, there is immense potential.”
