Russia's Defense Ministry rubbished on Saturday media reports of corruption linked to purchases of Daimler AG vehicles.
Media reports alleged corruption over the sale of Mercedes vehicles to the ministry.
Daimler was fined $185 million by a U.S. court earlier in April after admitting to paying tens of millions of dollars of bribes to foreign governments.
"The Defense Ministry has never purchased and does not purchase Mercedes vehicles," a spokesman said.
The Russian business daily Kommersant said that in 2000-2005 alone, Russian officials received some 5.02 million euros ($6.7 million) and around 80,000 German marks (more than $54,000) as government contract payoffs from the German auto giant, which accounts for 7.8% of the total worth of the contracts signed during that period.
The paper quoted a source close to the country's service providing security to Russian top officials as saying a total of 100 Mercedes were purchased under compromised contracts.
MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti)
