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US investigating Hollywood links to Najib’s financial scandals, says report

KUALA LUMPUR — The US Department of Justice is investigating the money flowing in and out of Red Granite Pictures, a Hollywood production house owned by Mr Riza Aziz, the stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Wolf of Wall Street (above) was financed by Red Granite Pictures, a company allegedly linked to real estate purchases in the US. Photo: The Malaysian Insider

Wolf of Wall Street (above) was financed by Red Granite Pictures, a company allegedly linked to real estate purchases in the US. Photo: The Malaysian Insider

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KUALA LUMPUR — The US Department of Justice is investigating the money flowing in and out of Red Granite Pictures, a Hollywood production house owned by Mr Riza Aziz, the stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

According to entertainment portal Deadline.com, the investigation is part of the department’s probe into possible wrongdoing by Mr Najib and tycoon Low Taek Jho.

“At this point, the Justice Department is in fact-gathering mode and interested in real estate transactions by both Mr Low and Mr Riza as well as the financials of Red Granite. We’ve been told that a number of people have been questioned already,” the report said.

“There has never been anything inappropriate about any of Red Granite Pictures or (Mr) Riza Aziz’s business activities,” a spokesman for Red Granite Pictures and Mr Riza, was quoted as saying.

“What they have done and will continue to do is develop and produce successful and acclaimed movies that have to date generated more than US$800 million (S$1.1 billion) in worldwide box office revenues.”

Since its gala launch three years ago at Cannes, Red Granite has backed several movies which have done well. One of its most famous titles is the Wolf of Wall Street, with a production budget of US$100 million, and which took in US$392 million worldwide. It was also nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.

Red Granite has said before that it was backed by money from Asia and the Middle East, and Mr Riza specifically told The New York Times in February 2014 that the biggest financier of Red Granite was a man named Mr Mohamed Ahmed Badawy al-Husseiny.

Mr Ahmed is chief at Aabar Investments, a company that has a strong relationship with Mr Low. Mr Ahmed told the New York Times that he and private investors were helping to finance Red Granite, and a spokesman said that none of the money was from Malaysia.

In September last year, the New York Times reported that a unit in the US Justice Department was investigating Mr Najib over properties purchased by Mr Riza and Mr Low. Quoting an anonymous source, it said the inquiry focussed on real estate purchases in the US in recent years by shell companies.

The New York Times reported this month about these purchases using shell companies by various international figures, including Mr Riza and Mr Low.

Ever since The Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report alleged that RM2.6 billion (S$880 million) went into Mr Najib’s personal account, the prime minister has come under tremendous pressure, especially over his handling of state investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

But after close to six months of investigations, Attorney-General Apandi Ali said last month that there was insufficient evidence to implicate Mr Najib. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

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