KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) today denied that any of its funds were used in the production of the 2013 hit movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” that starred Hollywood’s Leonardo DiCaprio.

The state-owned firm, responding to media reports on the matter, said in a statement that it has neither invested nor transferred funds to Red Granite Pictures, whether directly or via any of its subsidiaries, to foot the bill for the movie.

“Any statement to the contrary is false,” it said in the statement.

“We, therefore, deny any suggestion that 1MDB funded the production of The Wolf of Wall Street, or had any involvement with the film in any capacity, as has been alleged or implied in some recent media reports,” it added.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) yesterday, Red Granite Pictures stepped in with over US$100 million to fund the film that took over six years to produce because Hollywood studios were reluctant to invest in the R-rated movie on corruption.

Citing unnamed “global investigators”, WSJ’s report said it is believed that some of the money to make the movie on a stock scam originated from the controversy-ridden 1MDB.

The international daily’s report also said that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued subpoenas to several current and former staff members of Red Granite Pictures.

The FBI has reportedly also subpoenaed a bank and an accounting firm that the production house used, the report added.

1MDB is currently under probe by a number of local and foreign agencies including those in Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Late last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Parliament that the police are still investigating the firm.