KIMANIS POLLS | Sabah MACC has confirmed that a photo of Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal giving donations was at an alms-giving ceremony and not related to the Kimanis by-elections as alleged.

"According to preliminary investigations, Sabah MACC found that the incident actually took place on Jan 3, 2020 in Sandakan in conjunction with the Sandakan Airport groundbreaking ceremony rather than in Kimanis.

“It was an alms-giving programme to the poor after Friday prayers at the Masjid Datuk Pangeran Galpam Sandakan,” it said in a statement today.

The photograph of Shafie handing out RM50 notes had been circulated in BN Kimanis Whatsapp groups.

Yesterday Shafie, who is Warisan president, had also clarified that the image was of him handing out alms to the poor at the mosque in Sandakan.

Sandakan and Kimanis are different parliamentary constituencies.

Warisan is again fielding its GE14 Kimanis candidate Karim Bujang against BN’s Mohamad Alamin.

The seat fell vacant after Anifah’s GE14 win was nullified when the Kota Kinabalu Election Court ruled that the presence of additional ballot papers had influenced the election result.