Malaysian financier Jho Low orchestrated the 1MDB scandal by embezzling billions of dollars from a state economic development fund and using it to finance the Hollywood movie The Wolf of Wall Street.

A closer look

Malaysian financier Jho Low orchestrated the 1MDB scandal by embezzling billions of dollars from a state economic development fund and using it to finance the Hollywood movie The Wolf of Wall Street. In an ironically flawless execution of life imitating art, stolen taxpayer money meant to build national infrastructure was instead funneled into a film explicitly warning the public about the dangers of corrupt financiers stealing money. The sheer cinematic poetry of using a sovereign wealth fund to buy Leonardo DiCaprio a transparent piano and fund endless yacht parties is almost impressive, if you completely ignore the devastating impact on the national debt. It stands as the ultimate achievement in white-collar crime, proving that if you steal enough billions, you can literally fund your own cautionary tale while partying with the exact celebrities hired to portray your moral decay