A senior police officer in Kuala Lumpur being investigated for a money laundering case involving RM6 million has been transferred to Federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman last week, say sources.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the move was to remove him from the 'frontline' until the graft probe against him completed.

Sources said the officer had been transferred with immediate effect to the Bukit Aman secretariat.

The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) on December 26 confirmed that a senior police officer with the “Datuk” honorific had 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 commission's Putrajaya headquarters 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 said.

The officer 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 the 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.

In November, a daily reported that 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. – January 6, 2014.