Airdate: The Kleptocrats

2018 UK documentary The Kleptocrats from investigative journalist Sam Hobkinson centres around allegations of money laundering by former Malaysian PM Najib Razak.

This screens through streaming subscription service iwonder.

“If we have watched The Wolf Of Wall Street, downloaded music tracks owned by EMI, or stayed in the Park Lane Hotel in New York, we have unknowingly given money to alleged fraudsters… I hope the film goes some way to giving a louder voice to the people of Malaysia, and other states, who have suffered due to the greed of kleptocratic rulers,” said Hobkinson.

iwonder Co-Founder and CEO James Bridges added, “We are thrilled to bring The Kleptocrats, which screened at the Sydney Film Festival to sold-out audiences, exclusively to viewers in Australia. Dominating global headlines for months, the 1MDB scandal, its characters and the ongoing turn of events untangled by this amazing film are all stranger and more outrageous than fiction. The film is a perfect example of the marriage of global events and documentaries that iwonder is all about.”

The trial of former the Prime Minister (PM) of Malaysia, Najib Razak, indicted as part of a criminal investigation into the multi-billion-dollar Malaysian 1MDB money-laundering scandal, will begin today (Wednesday 28th August, 2019). The commencement of proceedings, which includes 25 charges against the former PM covering abuses of his position for personal financial gain and money-laundering, is the next chapter in a scandal that has stretched across the globe and spawned investigations in at least six countries. The allegations of corruption against Najib and his alleged associates is the subject of a critically-acclaimed, jaw-dropping documentary currently streaming in Australia exclusively on video streaming platform, iwonder.com.

In 2015, it emerged that US$3.5 billion had gone missing from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. The ensuing investigations by both foreign and domestic agencies implicated high-flying, hot shot financier (and close personal associate of the then Malaysian PM Najib) Jho Low. It was alleged that the proceeds from the audacious scheme had been used to finance Low’s properties, yacht, artworks and extravagant gifts for celebrities like Miranda Kerr, Paris Hilton and Alicia’s Keys’ husband, producer Swizz Beatz to name a few. Millions were also purportedly diverted through a production company belonging to ex-PM Najib’s son-in-law to finance Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-nominated film, The Wolf Of Wall Street.

The Kleptocrats follows investigative journalists from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Hollywood Reporter as they retrace money trails that lead back to Najib and his wife, Low’s real estate deals, Hollywood film and music record label investments, and outrageous purchases including Low’s US$250 million superyacht. The film also features interviews with Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, authors of The New York Times best seller, Billion Dollar Whale, Najib’s estranged brother Nazir Razak, and even actor Robert De Niro. The film was executive produced by Louise Story, investigative journalist and former New York Times journalist, and award-winning directors Havana Marking and Sam Hobkinson.