The CBI has prepared a chargesheet on the alleged misappropriation of around Rs 18 crore by a section of officials of Indian Museum between 2004 and 2006.

“The chargesheet was sent to the Union culture ministry last month for approval. The ministry forwarded it to the museum’s board of trustees. We will move court as soon as the board gives its nod,” said an official of the CBI’s anti-corruption wing.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi heads the board of trustees.

A sleuth who probed three cases of embezzlement at the museum said several employees, including a former deputy director and an office superintendent, were involved in siphoning off the Rs 18 crore the Centre had allotted for renovation and restoration of the Chowringhee landmark and some other museums in Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.

The entire project, which also includes preservation of priceless artefacts, was supervised by the Indian Museum authorities.

The cases under which the charges — criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating — have been framed are different from the ones that led to CBI raids at the museum and 17 other places last Friday.

“Last week’s raids were in connection with two cases involving misappropriation of Rs 40 lakh,” said a CBI official.

The Rs 18-crore embezzlement came to light last year, prompting the CBI to register a case and start a probe. After going through the details of the scam, the agency filed two more cases.

“There are no records of the material used in the renovation and restoration, for which the Centre had allotted the money. The funds had been siphoned off by producing fake expenditure bills,” said a sleuth.

“No tender was floated for awarding contracts and the agencies that bagged orders existed only on paper. The officials arranged for fake IT returns and other documents in the name of non-existent agencies while awarding contracts.”

Besides, no official from Indian Museum visited any of the museums in the Northeast where the restoration-preservation work was supposed to have been carried out.

As for last Friday’s raids, the sleuth said: “We are studying the seized documents. Another chargesheet will be filed.”