More cops under probe for money laundering

A senior police officer in Kuala Lumpur is just one of some 40 policemen being investigated for laundering millions of ringgit earned by vice syndicates in Malaysia, sources told The Malaysian Insider.

It is learnt that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has widened its investigations to include money laundering and corrupt practices by several dozen policemen across the country.

"They are being investigated for money laundering, and at the very least, for corruption," a source told The Malaysian Insider.

"These policemen can be charged with either crime, depending on the evidence,” the source added.

Another source said the money laundering ran into millions and came to light after several police shootouts with criminals in 2013 where suspected gangsters were shot dead in several major towns.

"We are investigating the link between the shootouts and the money laundering," said the source.

MACC had confirmed on December 26 that a senior police officer with the title “datuk” has given a statement, apparently over a RM6 million money laundering case.

MACC director of investigations Datuk Mustafa Ali had said the police officer had given his statement at the MACC Putrajaya office a week before.

“We called in the senior police officer to have his statement taken.

“He cooperated and we recorded the statement. No arrest was made,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama.

Mustafa declined to elaborate, however, on the corruption case as well as the claim of money having been found at the officer’s home and whether other police officers would be called to assist in the investigation.

A newspaper had reported last week that a senior police officer had been called to give a statement to assist MACC in a case against three police officers over a case of money laundering.

In November, the daily also reported that the three police officers, with the rank of deputy superintendent, assistant superintendent and sergeant, were nabbed separately by MACC and that during the arrests, MACC found RM500,000, three Rolex watches and jewellery.

Two of the arrested officers had been transferred to Johor and the third, to Negri Sembilan, it said, adding that one of the officers was suspected of being involved in laundering RM1.7 million and another, RM4.3 million.