KOTA KINABALU, Nov 12 — Sindumin state assemblyman Datuk Yusof Yacob has referred allegations of his involvement in a recent corruption scandal to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for investigation.

The chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Berhad told Sinar Harian that the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) may have been exploited by certain parties to link him to the accusations.

"Let them go viral, the issue now is AI. There’s no need to deny, just let the MACC investigate if there’s a case,” he said in a statement to the national daily yesterday.

Dr Yusof expressed his willingness to cooperate with the MACC should any evidence be presented.

"Yes, leave it to the MACC if there’s anything. If anyone has something, report it to the MACC. I’m very clear on that.

"If there’s anything, anytime, I have no problem cooperating,” he added.

The Sindumin division leader of the Gagasan Rakyat Party also stressed the need for clarification, particularly with the Sabah election on the horizon.

"We need to clarify this. Right now, we have many enemies, and a lot is happening.

"Be careful during this time — people can do anything,” he said.

Yusof suggested that the allegations might be part of an agenda by his political rivals to discredit him ahead of the state polls, which must be called next year.

"It’s normal. When we are strong and stable, people will try anything; our enemies will do anything.

"In politics, we have many enemies, and we don’t know who they are,” he was quoted as saying.

The controversy began after a 17-second video surfaced online, allegedly showing a conversation between a Sabah assemblyman and a contractor discussing corruption.

One of the voices in the recording is said to belong to Yusof, although its authenticity has not been verified.

A recent report also claimed that eight video recordings exist, implicating several assemblymen in discussions about sums ranging from hundreds of thousands to RM4 million in exchange for securing state projects.