FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – The cleanup of a Navajo Nation building believed to be contaminated with mold is on hold after a special prosecutor raised the possibility that financial records were being destroyed – a concern that tribal justice officials say is unfounded.

Special prosecutor Alan Balaran successfully sought a restraining order that blocks access to the building in Window Rock to anyone but law enforcement. A civil lawsuit he filed earlier this year accuses dozens of former and current Navajo officials of defrauding the tribal government in the use and management of discretionary funds.

Balaran said he's worried that without a plan to preserve the records, the defendants could access them and impede his case.

“If defendants are to destroy the nation's financial legacy, the nation would never recover, and those who have elevated their malfeasance to an art form will face no repercussions,” Balaran wrote in his request.

Officials from the tribe's Department of Justice told Judge Carol Perry at a hearing Monday that the documents would be protected as is required by tribal and federal policies and that no records from the building have been destroyed. Perry said she would welcome any agreement reached between Balaran and justice officials on how to best preserve the documents, according to judiciary spokeswoman Karen Francis.

The fret over the possible destruction of documents could stem partly from a Sept. 15 news release from tribal President Ben Shelly's office that said the documents would be scanned and then destroyed. The office issued a correction Tuesday.

The Navajo Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed the building that houses employees in the payroll, management and budget, auditor general and controller's offices on Sept. 9 after receiving 18 health-related complaints ranging from coughing and vomiting to neurological problems, said director Patrick Sandoval.

Tribal officials say mold could stem from leaks in the roof that allowed water to seep into the building that is at least 30 years old. Cleaning it up could take up to a year, they said. The employees are in temporary offices.

“We can't afford to have people in there exposed to whatever's going on until we find out what's going on,” Sandoval said.

The restraining order will remain in place until at least Thursday when Perry plans a written ruling after hearing arguments Monday, Francis said. That's one day before the expiration of Balaran's contract to investigate discretionary spending, a tribal ranch program and allegations that former tribal President Joe Shirley Jr., acted illegally and unethically in dealing with two companies that had operated on the reservation.

A replacement for Balaran has not been named.

In his request for a restraining order, Balaran also asked that a quasi-judicial officer who is not connected to the tribal government and can enforce court orders be appointed to maintain any records that would be used at trial in the civil case. Balaran has alleged that 85 people benefited from $36 million in discretionary funds or failed to regulate the funding meant for elderly tribal members, student scholarships or others facing significant hardship.

The speaker of the Tribal Council has called the allegations vague and said the lawsuit is a shoddy piece of investigative work.