KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian prosecutors charged a former ally of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak with multiple counts of money laundering on Tuesday as the government continues investigation into the alleged wrongdoing by its predecessor.

Musa Aman, former chief minister of state of Sabah, was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court with 16 counts of money laundering amounting to 37 million U.S. dollars.

Musa was accused of indirect involvement in alleged money-laundering activities by instructing a bank account to be opened at a Singaporean bank to receive proceeds from an illicit transaction.

He was also accused of indirect involvement in money laundering through receiving illicit funds from various companies and individuals through a foreign bank between 2006 and 2008.

The largest recorded sum for a single transaction amounted to 16.15 million U.S. dollars.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Musa is already facing 35 charges, filed in November last year, for receiving a total of 63.2 million U.S. dollars in bribes in exchange for logging contracts.