A Malaysian police officer has become the first member of the force to be charged with money laundering, reports said Wednesday.

Azmi Osman, former chief of southern Johor state's anti-vice, gaming and secret society division, was charged in court Tuesday with laundering 1.263 million ringgit (368,500 dollars), the New Straits Times reported.

The 52-year old police officer faces a maximum jail term of five years or a fine of five million ringgit or both if found guilty.

He is currently attached to the internal security division at federal police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Azmi is expected to face two further charges of money laundering in the eastern state of Pahang, with the sums involved totalling about four million ringgit, the paper said.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was elected in 2004 in a landslide vote on the back of an anti-graft campaign.

But opposition politicians and anti-corruption watchdogs say progress has been slow, with few meaningful reforms.