Russian federal investigators today said they were investigating allegations of corruption in Moscow's city government, a day after the dismissal of Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
President Dmitry Medvedev sacked Mr Luzhkov yesterday after he criticised the Kremlin and then defied pressure to resign.
The investigators' comments, carried by Russian news agencies, were the first official statement suggesting Mr Luzhkov could face prosecution over corruption claims.
Mr Luzhkov's administration was accused of widespread corruption in documentaries shown on state television in recent weeks, but Mr Medvedev did not mention corruption in remarks yesterday, saying only he had "lost trust" in the mayor.
The Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office is undertaking a series of inquiries against Mr Luzhkov's administration, a spokesman told the news agencies.
"Probes are continuing . . . into alleged corruption-related crimes by a number of officials in the Moscow government," state-run RIA quoted the spokesman for the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office as saying.
Mr Luzhkov's 18-year tenure was tainted by allegations that his billionaire construction boss wife, Yelena Baturina, benefited from his post - allegations that the pair strenuously deny.
Mr Luzhkov will mount a legal challenge to his dismissal, a close friend of the ousted official told Interfax news agency today.
The former mayor has made no public comment since his firing, but former colleagues and legal experts say he has the right to contest it in court. #
"Yuri Mikhailovich (Luzhkov) told me yesterday that he would file suit," Interfax quoted Iosif Kobzon, a famous singer and confidant of the ex-mayor, as saying
"I told Yuri Luzhkov that it was absolutely useless, but he is a man of principle and by all appearances will stand his ground," added Mr Kobzon, who was seen leaving the mayor's office with Mr Luzhkov yesterday after his dismissal.
Reuters