Former Russian P.M. under investigation

MOSCOW, July 11 (UPI) -- Russian prosecutors have confirmed an investigation into the real estate dealings of former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.

Kasyanov allegedly bought a villa outside Moscow that belonged to Konstantin Chernenko, who led the Soviet Union briefly in the mid 1980s, the Itar-Tass news agency reports. The auction was arranged by Kasyanov's government.

Alexander Khinshtein, a deputy to the Russian parliament, said he had given the prosecutor's office 100 pages of documents on Kasyanov's real estate deals.

After leaving government, Kasyanov founded the MK-Analitika consulting firm. He has denied any wrongdoing, saying that while he was in office he was not involved in commercial transactions and since leaving office he has conducted all his business legally.