San Francisco, Jun 11 (IANS): Amid claims that Sheryl Sandberg misused company resources, Meta's lawyers are investigating the outgoing COO, media reports said.

The investigation goes back "several years" and is scrutinising Meta employees' work on Sandberg's personal projects, Engadget reported, citing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

When Sandberg first announced her departure from the company, WSJ reported the company was examining whether she had improperly used company resources in planning her upcoming wedding. Now, the report has shed a little more light on the investigation.

Meta lawyers are reportedly looking at Facebook staff's involvement with Sandberg's foundation Lean In, and their work to help her promote her most recent book, "Option B".

The company is also investigating reports that Sandberg used Facebook staffers in an attempt to kill a negative story about her former partner, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, the report said.

The company could be looking to head off regulatory concerns that could arise if such work wasn't properly disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sandberg eventually "could be asked to repay the company for employee time spent on her personal work", according to the report.

Meta declined to comment to the WSJ.