Stepson of former Malaysian PM charged with money laundering
Riza Aziz, producer of the Hollywood film "The Wolf of Wall Street and stepson of Malaysia's disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak, arrives for a court appearance at Duta court in Kuala Lumpur on July 5, 2019 (AFP)
- Xinhua
- July 5, 2019 4:59 AM
KUALA LUMPUR-- Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, stepson of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, was charged on Friday with five counts of money laundering involving over 1 billion ringgit (248 million U.S. dollars).
Riza was alleged to have committed the offenses in the United States and Singapore between 2011 and 2012 with the prosecution asserting the funds originated from state development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Riza claimed trial to the charges. The judge imposed a fine of 1 million ringgit (240,000 U.S. dollars) and ordered that he surrender his passport, with the next mention set for Aug. 9.
Riza, who is a film producer, was alleged to have used the money to finance films including The Wolf of Wall Street.
He was also alleged to have used part of the funds to purchase several properties in the United States.
Najib is on trial for dozens of corruption charges involving billions of ringgit from 1MDB while his wife Rosmah Mansor is also facing multiple charges.
