MOSCOW, July 18 (RAPSI) - The investigators intend to question Education and Science Minister Dmitry Livanov and deputy minister Natalya Tretyak as witnesses in Moscow State Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISiS) embezzlement case, Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday.

The case was opened in May 2009 after unidentified individuals embezzled 57 million rubles ($1.7 million) of government money allocated for modernizing one of the institute's buildings. If convicted of fraud, the perpetrators could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

However, no suspects were arrested and no charges brought at the time, the source said. The institute management and representatives of construction companies hired for the project were questioned, and financial and operation reports seized.

In November 2009 the preliminary investigation was terminated. After it was resumed on June 3, 2013, the investigators have questioned other institute staff and took more reports from tax inspectorates.

On June 27, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told RIA Novosti that Livanov and Tretyak are not involved in the embezzlement of funds allocated for the modernization of one of the buildings used by MISiS.

According to Kommersant, all of the actions necessary for the full and objective investigation and verification of their possible involvement in the crime are actually carried out.

"Livanov and Tretyak will be firstly questioned as witnesses," newspaper writes, explaining that verification will be conducted in the framework of the initiated case.

MISiS is one of Russia's leading educational and research centers. It aims to develop pioneering processes in a variety of fields ranging from metallurgy and materials science in which it has historic expertise to relatively new areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technologies and telecommunications, and sustainable development and energy efficiency.