MOSCOW, April 25 - RAPSI. Law enforcement agencies have opened a number of criminal cases regarding embezzlement from state contracts with Daimler Concern for Mercedes supplies, Izvestia newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The law enforcement agencies have only initiated proceedings against officials of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service. No violations were discovered in other governmental services, including the Defense Ministry.

The investigation has been progressing at a very slow pace, Izvestia sources report. Internal inspections were carried out in the ministries back in April 2010, but no breaches were uncovered.

The high profile Daimler scandal broke out in March 2010, when the U.S. Justice Department accused the car maker of bribing officials responsible for car supply contracts in 22 countries from 1998 to 2008.

Daimler acknowledged that Russian officials accepted nearly 5 million euros in bribes from 2001 to 2005 for support in winning state contracts. The money was either transferred through offshore companies or was handed over in cash.

In April 2010 Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika reported that the law enforcement agencies were carrying out a comprehensive investigation into the case and requested the necessary documents from the United States.

However, Izvestia claims that Russia has made no requests for foreign assistance. Transparency International anticorruption center learned from the U.S. Justice Department that the Russian authorities have never approached them for support in the case.