Oscar nominee making film on ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ money trail

Oscar-nominated producer Mike Lerner is producing a documentary of the alleged corruption leading to the making of Hollywood hit ‘Wolf of Wall Street’, linked to the 1MDB scandal.

This comes after Swiss investigators say they have “elements in hand” to show some of the US$3.5 billion paid by 1MDB to a British Virgin Island firm as part of a power plant deal, went to a company in the “motion picture industry”.

"In 'The Master and His Wolf', we have a gripping story with a cast of fantastical characters, movie stars, prime ministers and a system of money laundering, with direct links between Malaysia via Saudi and Abu Dhabi companies which goes right to the heart of Hollywood’s elite,” British produce Mike Lerner told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Because of this historically massive corruption, the Malaysian government is on the brink of disaster while two suspicious murders with alleged links to the fraud remain shrouded in secrecy," added Lerner.

"And all for what? Greed, celebrity obsession and the ambition to stand on a red carpet. Stories don't get much bigger."

Lerner is the producer behind ‘Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer’, a critically-acclaimed documentary on the anti-government punk activists in Russia.

Red Granite, the Hollywood production company owned by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz, produced ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’.

Red Granite’s principal funder is Abu Dhabi businessperson Mohamed Al Husseiny, whom 1MDB said is one of two officials from Abu Dhabi state firm Aabar who convinced 1MDB to make payments to the BVI firm with an almost identical name.

1MDB said Husseiny, who was Aabar CEO, and Khadem al Qubaisi, informed 1MDB that Aabar BVI is a subsidiary of the International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC) - a statement now denied by IPIC.

[READ MORE: The men who sold 1MDB on a fake Aabar]

No due diligence conducted

Lerner told the entertainment news portal that filming for Malaysia for the new project has been completed, and the crew will now travel to Abu Dhabi, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Lerner’s Roast Beef Productions started work on the film in 2015, the portal reported.

Among those Lerner hopes to feature in the documentary is business tycoon Jho Low (photo), who was named various times in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB, as being part of 1MDB’s PetroSaudi deal.

1MDB had invested a total of US$1.83 billion into various deals with PetroSaudi, but the PAC found the deals were rushed and no due diligence was conducted.

Low, who hit headlines abroad for his lavish parties with Hollywood celebrities, has previously denied ties to 1MDB.

Low received “special thanks” in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ credits and was present at the film’s red carpet premier.

Low was also reported to have said that he has been close friends with Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ as Jordan Belfort.

DiCaprio was paid US$25 million “upfront” for the film directed by legendary director Martin Scorsese.

Red Granite denied irregularities in its funding and said it is cooperating with investigations.

1MDB said the Swiss probe showed 1MDB could be "victims of fraud". -Mkini