Putin ally quits Russian parliament in property scandal

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An ally of Vladimir Putin resigned from the Russian parliament on Wednesday to fight accusations that he failed to declare ownership of property in the United States and to protect the reputation of the president's party.

Vladimir Pekhtin, who had already stepped down as head of parliament's ethics committee, denied owning real estate abroad despite documents posted by bloggers on the Internet showing his name on the deeds of property in Florida worth $2 million (1.3 million pounds).