Allegations that Speaker of the House Randy Horton accepted a politically motivated $45,000 bribe have been firmly refuted by Mr Horton.

Speaking at the opening of Parliament yesterday, Mr Horton said he was rising to assure the public that “no allegation could be farther from the truth”.

His comments were in reference to the July 17 debate over an Opposition motion to have the Speaker censured, in which the allegations surfaced.

In that sitting of the House, in which Mr Horton was said to have gone by the alias of “master chef”, MPs also heard that the Speaker had threatened Marc Bean, Leader of the Opposition, because Mr Bean had planned to reveal that the payments, which he said had come from the developer Nathan Landow.

Yesterday, Mr Horton said he had been duty bound not to take part in that debate, which ended with the defeat of the motion.

“The House has spoken, and I take note of all that was said. We move on with the business of the country. But there was one matter concerning myself about which I feel I must speak from the chair today. I believe it’s important that the members of this honourable House and the people of Bermuda know exactly where I stand with respect to that matter.

“There was an allegation which was made about myself that is simply not true. During the debate on the motion of censure, it was alleged that I had been given or that I had accepted a $45,000 payment from the One Bermuda Alliance or from an agent of the OBA Government. No allegation could be farther from the truth. For the record, I state categorically and emphatically that I have never received even one cent from the OBA or any agent of the OBA.

“Those unfounded utterance are just that — unfounded. They are totally, completely and utterly false.”

Mr Horton called them “fabrications, and nothing more” before continuing with the day’s business.