BERLIN (AP) — Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says emails suggesting his involvement in a scandal involving his previous coalition partners are fakes.

Kurz said Monday experts found multiple inconsistencies to confirm they weren't genuine, including the IP address, time stamps and email addresses used. The case has been referred to prosecutors.

He commended media outlets for seeking comment from him before publishing the emails.

Kurz refused to talk about the content, but said in general "the emails are an attempt to defame" his People's Party and "drag us in" to the scandal surrounding his former coalition partner, the Freedom Party.

Kurz ended the coalition after a video surfaced showing then-Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache appearing to offer lucrative government contracts to a purported Russian investor.

New elections will be held in September.