Lim was responding to a second photograph of him with the Datuk Seri, which surfaced on social media yesterday.
The Datuk Seri is suspected of receiving RM19 million from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) to halt investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the Penang tunnel project.
At a press conference today, Lim displayed several photographs of the businessman’s wife with BN leaders such as Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid; Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Karim; and Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam.
The photographs were allegedly posted by the businessman’s wife on her social networking site.
“Looking at so many photographs of his wife with BN leaders, it is clear that both of them are strong BN supporters.
“No wonder the Indian businessman was appointed as a director of a major publicly-listed company,” he said today.
Lim also asked if the BN media were getting leaked photographs from the authorities or from the businessman.
He said there might be more than two photographs of him taken with the Datuk Seri, and perhaps even more photographs taken with his wife and family members.
“Does the act of taking photographs with him, his wife and family, make us close buddies?
“If taking photographs with his wife also makes us buddies, then will the BN media also print photographs of his wife with other BN leaders?
“Will the BN media question and seek explanations from the BN ministers about them taking photographs with the Indian businessman’s wife?” he asked.
Lim said the BN media’s claim that the Datuk Seri was his buddy and had dealings with him was based solely on photographs of the two of them together.
“This is not only ridiculous but a disgusting attempt to smear me and turn the Indian businessman, who is a strong BN supporter, into my buddy.
“I have taken many photographs with many personalities, and I cannot recall how many times or where each and every photograph was taken.”
The latest picture of Lim with the Datuk Seri, which went viral after being posted by Facebook user Sarah Farhana, showed Lim and a person resembling the Datuk Seri in the back seat of a car said to belong to one of the bosses of the undersea tunnel and roads consortium.
The picture surfaced after Lim retaliated by showing a snapshot of the businessman posing for a photograph with Star Media Group managing director and CEO Wong Chun Wai.
The Datuk Seri businessman arrested by MACC was released on RM150,000 bail after spending 11 days in custody.
MACC is probing into whether the 37-year-old, whose wife is a leader of an NGO, had received the money from the main contractor of the project as alleged.
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