DAP today lodged seven police reports over an un-attributed election advertisement which denounced the previous government as 'corrupt' while praising Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his boldness and integrity.

Party chairperson and Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang lodged his report with the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters in Selangor while the other six were filed in various states.

He urged the police to investigate the matter following Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz's denial on Wednesday that Barisan Nasional (BN) had paid for the advertisement.

The full-page colour advertisement appeared in all Chinese papers in the run-up to the March 21 polls. Apart from criticising the government as 'corrupt and rotten', it also likened Abdullah to Justice Bao - a Chinese legendary figure synonymous with justice.

"I have asked the police to investigate this matter, whether the advertisement is an offence under the Penal Code, the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the election laws," Lim said when contacted.

BN victory

He said the advertisement also led to doubts over the legitimacy of BN's landslide electoral victory as it could have 'deceived' the Chinese reading community of about 2.8 million.

"Although Nazri has denied Umno's involvement, can (the Chinese-based) MCA and Gerakan also claim ignorance over the matter?" he asked.

The opposition leader said the denial has also cast doubts on other election advertisements which featured Abdullah's pledges and promises.

Lim later accompanied four other DAP MPs to lodge a similar report at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur.

The DAP chairperson, who is also Ipoh Timor MP, first raised the issue week when debating the motion to thank the royal address in Parliament last week.

Responding to this, Nazri claimed 'anonymous sources' were responsible for the advertisement and not the ruling front.

Meanwhile, a Chinese daily spokesperson said he could not ascertain who paid for the advertisement as election advertisements were done via an advertisement agency.

However, he declined to reveal the name of the agency.