NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Supermarket operator Ahold NV will clear top management at its U.S. Foodservice unit from blame for $500 million in accounting irregularities, a published report said Wednesday.

Ahold, the world's third-largest supermarket group, said it is wrapping up an internal investigation into serious accounting irregularities, people familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal.

On Feb. 24, Ahold announced that improper accounting of vendor rebates by its U.S. unit would force the company to restate earnings by a collective $500 million for 2001 and 2002.

The company then hired outside counsel and forensic auditors to conduct an internal inquiry. Shortly afterward, the SEC initiated its own investigation, which is expected to take months to conclude.

Ahold will find that the rebate scheme was primarily the responsibility of Mark Kaiser and Tim Lee, two procurement executives at U.S. Foodservice who were suspended when the scandal broke.

The Journal said the final report will clear top management, including U.S. Foodservice Chief Executive James Miller, who has remained in his job.

Lee and Kaiser will both be asked to resign, these people told the newspaper. No other resignations are expected to follow as a result of the internal investigation.

The inquiry also won't implicate any current executives at the holding level of Ahold. When the news of the restatement broke in February, Ahold CEO Cees van der Hoeven and the company's chief financial officer resigned. "We understand that the problem is completely restricted to U.S. Foodservice," said a person with knowledge of the investigation.

Ahold hopes to finalize the report in time for board and shareholder meetings May 13 in order to begin to restore investor confidence in the company and establish the credibility of new management, the paper said.