WASHINGTON: The FBI and US Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired General David Petraeus for allegedly providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the CIA, The New York Times reported Friday.

The investigation stems from an affair Petraeus — who was also commander of American forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan — had with an Army Reserve officer who was writing his biography, the newspaper said, citing unnamed officials.

The probe focuses on whether Petraeus, who resigned in 2012 when the affair became public, gave Paula Broadwell access to his CIA email account and other highly classified information.

FBI agents discovered classified documents on her computer after he quit, according to the Times, which said that Attorney General Eric Holder must decide whether to seek an indictment that could send Petraeus to prison.

Holder was expected to decide by the end of last year whether to bring charges against Petraeus, the newspaper said.

Petraeus has said he never provided classified information to Broadwell, who was 20 years his junior and wrote a biography of the general before becoming his lover.

Petraeus is one of the most decorated and respected military officers of his generation.

After the affair came to light, he voiced regret for the “pain” caused by the fling with Broadwell, a counter-terrorism expert and lieutenant-colonel, and pledged to try to “make amends to those I have hurt and let down“.

Marc Raimondi, spokesman for the Justice Department, declined to comment on the Times report.