Malaysia on Friday charged one of the Wolf of Wall Street film producers, and stepson of former prime minister Najib Razak, with money laundering, alleging he misappropriated $248m linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Riza Aziz, a co-founder of Hollywood production firm Red Granite Pictures that was behind the Oscar-nominated film The Wolf of Wall Street, was charged with five counts of money laundering.
Prosecutors alleged Riza received a total of $248m as a result of misappropriation of 1MDB funds.
Riza pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Each charge carries a financial penalty of up to five million ringgit ($1.21m), a maximum jail term of five years, or both.
The court granted Riza bail at one million ringgit and asked him to surrender his passports.