American actor Leonardo DiCaprio on Saturday denied a claim by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that he had helped fund groups allegedly linked to fires in the Amazon rain forest.
"While worthy of support," the 45-year-old DiCaprio said in a statement on his Instagram account, "we did not fund the organisations targeted."
While citing no evidence, Bolsonaro said that DiCaprio had earmarked a part of the USD 500,000 "for the people who were setting fires."
DiCaprio, long an environmental activist, said in his denial that "the future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake, and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them."
He offered praise for those in Brazil who work "to save their natural and cultural heritage."
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