Ellron said the accusations in the report by Malaysiakini are “baseless slander driven by immature political motives to tarnish my reputation and integrity as an elected representative”.

“I have always upheld the principles of integrity, accountability and clean governance in line with the Sabah state government’s commitment to combat corruption,” he said in a Facebook post.

“I have instructed my legal team to take firm action against any party spreading these false allegations.”

The Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) deputy president’s denial follows a rebuttal from party president Jeffrey Kitingan, who was also implicated in the Malaysiakini report, along with four other Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders.

On Monday, Sabah assistant industrial development and entrepreneurship minister Andi Suryady Bandy, and Sindumin assemblyman Dr Yusof Yacob were charged with receiving bribes related to mineral prospecting licence applications in the state.

Yusof is also the chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Bhd, the state government’s investment arm.

Businessman Albert Wei was charged with bribing them.

The alleged scandal was reported last year after a series of videos linking several Sabah assemblymen to it were leaked. The videos allegedly depicted discussions involving bribery and misconduct related to mineral exploration projects in the state.

In February, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the initial batch of videos lacked credibility as they had been heavily edited.