He said the photo was taken in Sandakan after performing prayers at a mosque following a groundbreaking ceremony for the Sandakan airport expansion.

It was on the eve of the nomination day of the Kimanis by-election.

“At the time I was in Sandakan with Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng for the ceremony but I did not have enough time, so I decided to perform Friday prayers at the nearby mosque.

“After that, I handed out alms to the people living near the mosque as they are from the poor. I was giving alms to the folk in Sandakan, they don’t vote in Kimanis,” he told reporters here today. ‘

The groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Sandakan airport on Jan 3 where Shafie stopped by the Datuk Pangeran Galpam mosque for prayers before heading out to Kimanis, about 396.5 kilometres away.

The photo showing Shafie handing out cash was shared in the BN Kimanis by-election WhatsApp group chat but without providing any further details.

Shafie labelled it as a dirty tactic by BN to smear his image ahead of the Kimanis by-election polls on Jan 18.

He said as the chief minister and head of the state government, he could not stop from carrying out his duties simply because a by-election was being held.

“The state will be crippled if the state government has to cease operating when an election comes by.”