Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in trial of Fugees' Pras Michel

Hollywood prima Leonardo DiCaprio has testified successful tribunal successful Washington, DC, successful the corruption proceedings of erstwhile Fugee Prakazrel "Pras" Michel.

Rapper Mr Michel, 50, is accused of taking wealth from a Malaysian tycoon, Jho Low, to transportation retired a governmental power run successful the US.

He denies charges including conspiracy and witnesser tampering.

Mr DiCaprio, 48, is not accused of wrongdoing and is appearing arsenic a witness.

Mr Low - who is presently a fugitive and believed to beryllium successful china - is simply a co-defendant successful the case. Authorities judge the financier utilized his immense resources to curry favour among celebrities including Mr DiCaprio and exemplary Miranda Kerr.

In tribunal connected Monday, a soft-spoken, bearded Mr DiCaprio - who described himself simply arsenic "an actor" - told jurors that helium archetypal met Mr Low astatine a enactment successful Las Vegas successful 2010.

In consequent years, helium attended "a multitude of lavish parties" connected yachts and nightclubs astatine Mr Low's invitation alongside different celebrities, actors and musicians.

On 1 occasion, Mr DiCaprio attended a New Year's Eve enactment successful Australia with Mr Low, aft which partygoers were flown to the US successful an effort to observe New Year's twice.

The actor's 2013 movie Wolf of Wall Street was partially funded by a steadfast tied to Mr Low.

"I understood him to beryllium a immense businessman with galore connections," Mr DiCaprio said successful court. "He was a prodigy successful the concern world."

Bloomberg antecedently reported that Mr Low was "especially generous" with Mr DiCaprio and donated a $3.2m (£2.5m) enactment of creation by Picasso to his charity, successful summation to a $9.2m portion from Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Mr DiCaprio reportedly aboriginal turned those items and others received from Mr Low implicit to authorities.

On Monday, the histrion said that Mr Low besides actively participated successful auctions held by Mr DiCaprio successful St. Tropez "to bring successful funds" for his environmentally-focused foundation.

Later successful their relationship, Mr DiCaprio said that the 2 men began discussing US politics, with Mr Low expressing an involvement successful making a "significant contribution" of betwixt $20m and $30m to the Democratic Party up of 2012 statesmanlike election.

"I fundamentally said 'wow, that's a batch of money'," Mr DiCaprio said.

In 2019 Mr DiCaprio reportedly testified earlier a expansive assemblage successful Washington DC arsenic portion of the justness department's probe into the 1MDB scheme, the biggest embezzlement lawsuit successful history. It saw Mr Low accused of stealing billions of dollars from Malaysia's sovereign wealthiness fund.

Mr DiCaprio told jurors that helium mislaid interaction with Mr Low astir 2015 aft being informed that helium was nether probe for his fiscal dealings.

The Oscar-winner whitethorn not beryllium the lone personage to attest successful Pras Michel's trial.

During assemblage selection, attorneys named actors including Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Mark Wahlberg arsenic imaginable witnesses, successful summation to manager Martin Scorsese, according to CNN.

The sprawling lawsuit could besides spot grounds from erstwhile high-level US authorities officials and governmental insiders, including Donald Trump's erstwhile main strategist Steve Bannon, and Rudy Giuliani, erstwhile politician of New York and antecedently a lawyer for Mr Trump.