Former Mongolian PM Sukhbaatar Batbold has vowed to defend himself against allegations that he purchased two luxury apartments in New York City with the proceeds of a corrupt scheme in which his family-controlled firm was awarded a major mining contract. US authorities on March 25 outlined the allegations as they announced that federal prosecutors would seek to seize the prime real estate in midtown Manhattan, worth $14m. Batbold, 60, who served as PM from 2009-2012 and still sits in parliament, issued a statement through his lawyer Orin Snyder, which was reported by Reuters. It read: ‘Mr. Bat…