The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charged former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah in a multi-crore corruption case linked to the state’s cricket body. The chargesheet was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Srinagar on Monday. "CBI files charge sheet in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, against former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and other accused in the multi-crore J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) scam," news agency ANI said.

The CBI had recorded the National Conference leader’s statement in connection with its investigation into the corruption case in January. Along with Abdullah, three others were charged for alleged misappropriation of funds at the state cricket association – former general secretary of the association Saleem Khan; the then treasurer Ahsan Ahmad Mirza; and bank executive Bashir Ahmad Misgar, a report in the Indian Express said. All four men have been charged for criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

The BCCI had reportedly given Rs 112 crore to the state cricket association in the period between 2002 and 2011 in order to develop cricket facilities. Of this, the accused siphoned off and misappropriated more than Rs 43 crore, the CBI has alleged.

The alleged corruption scandal came into light in 2012. The CBI took over the case from the J&K police in 2015 following the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The HC told the central investigating agency to take over the case after the state police were unable to complete their investigation within three years.