Metro

Rajaratnam driver’s lawsuit reveals alleged details of lush life

Peter Malaszuk earned $65 an hour as Raj Rajaratnam’s driver — but it wasn’t enough to steer the Polish immigrant into a life of crime.

Malaszuk, in an eye-opening lawsuit, claims Rajaratnam ordered him to wire “significant amounts of money” to the families of inmates at a federal prison so the disgraced hedge fund mogul could “control” the inmates and gain better treatment during his 11-year prison term at the facility.

Malaszuk found the cash gifts odd but didn’t know sending them violated federal law or the prison’s rules, his lawyer, Joe Tacopina told The Post.

In the suit, Malaszuk claims he was fired after he balked at Rajaratnam’s request to deliver fraudulent immigration documents for his son.

Malaszuk knew that was illegal and refused to do it — not wanting to end up in prison himself, Tacopina said.

Details in the suit appear to corroborate details of a column by The Post’s John Crudele last August — which cited insiders at the FMC Devens prison, where Rajaratnam is doing his 11-year stretch, as saying the fallen financier had a personal “manservant” at his beck and call.

“He’s doing his time in the lap of luxury compared to the other inmates,” the insider told Crudele.

Rajaratnam’s lawyer called Malaszuk’s allegation “patently false” and said the hedgie and his wife, who was also sued, “will defend themselves vigorously against these groundless and unfounded claims.”

For Malaszuk, the caustic claims mark a sharp detour from the rigid allegiance he showed Rajaratnam during the hedgie’s 2011 trial.

Malaszuk was in the courtroom nearly every day of the seven-week trial.

Malaszuk, a former professional race car driver, hung close to a group of loyal trial watchers who took careful notes of legal victories by Rajaratnam’s defense team and pointed them out to reporters.

Malaszuk wasn’t much of a talker at trial, but would nod his head in agreement when others defended Rajaratnam or predicted his acquittal.

And even after Rajaratnam was convicted on all counts, Malaszuk attended oral arguments for his boss’ appeal in October 2012.

Now, Malaszuk seems to be training all the energy he invested in his friendship with Rajaratnam to sink him.

After years of faithful service, Malaszuk is clearly irked at allegedly being fired for failing to break the law.

Malaszuk didn’t want to “jeopardize his freedom” for his jailbird boss, the lawsuit said.

Indeed, Malaszuk has seen people much bigger than him go down on account of Rajaratnam, including former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, who is also serving two years at Devens.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is “aware” of the allegations, said a spokesman, who declined to comment on whether it is investigating the situation.