U.S. Moves to Seize Diamonds, a Picasso and Hollywood Films in Malaysian Case
A complaint filed on Thursday by the United States Justice Department seeks $540 million in assets, including a luxury yacht and expensive real estate,
that it says were bought with money stolen from a government fund in Malaysia overseen by the country’s prime minister, Najib Razak.
Here is the United States Justice Department complaint seeking to recover $540 million in assets
that it says were purchased with money stolen from 1MDB, a Malaysian government fund.
The complaint is also seeking to recover more than $25 million in assets from Mr. Aziz, a co-founder of the Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures, including the rights to the films "Dumb and Dumber To" and "Daddy’s Home." Red Granite has said
that it is cooperating with the Justice Department and that it is seeking to resolve the case.
By RICHARD C. PADDOCKJUNE 16, 2017
BANGKOK — A Picasso painting given to the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, the rights to two Hollywood comedies
and a $27.3 million diamond necklace belonging to the wife of Malaysia’s prime minister are among half a billion dollars in assets sought by the United States in a widening money-laundering inquiry.
United States said that These cases involve billions of dollars
that should have been used to help the people of Malaysia, but instead was used by a small number of individuals to fuel their astonishing greed,
Together with a previous complaint, the Justice Department is seeking nearly $1.7 billion in assets it says were stolen from the fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad,
and laundered through financial institutions in the United States.