§ 30-138 State agencies, courts, and local constitutional officers to report certain fraudulent transactions; penalty
A. Upon the discovery of circumstances suggesting a reasonable possibility that a fraudulent transaction has occurred involving funds or property under the control of any state department, court, officer, board, commission, institution or other agency of the Commonwealth, including local constitutional officers and appointed officials exercising the powers of elected constitutional officers, as to which one or more officers or employees of state or local government may be party thereto, the state agency head, court clerk or local official in charge of such entity shall promptly report such information to the Auditor of Public Accounts (Auditor), the State Inspector General, and the Superintendent of State Police (Superintendent).
B. The Auditor, the State Inspector General, or the Superintendent shall review the information reported pursuant to subsection A and individually determine the most appropriate method to investigate the information. In the event that the Auditor, the State Inspector General, or the Superintendent determines to conduct an investigation, he shall notify the others of the commencement of the investigation as soon as practicable, unless the information involves the Auditor, the State Inspector General, or the Superintendent.
C. No state department, court, officer, board, commission, institution or other agency of the Commonwealth, including local constitutional officers and appointed officials exercising the powers of elected constitutional officers, shall employ or contract with any person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity to conduct an investigation or audit of information reported pursuant to subsection A without obtaining the prior written approval from the Auditor and the Superintendent. Pending acknowledgement of the report and receipt of the written approval from the Auditor and the Superintendent, the state department, court, officer, board, commission, institution, or other agency of the Commonwealth, including local constitutional officers and appointed officials exercising the powers of elected constitutional officers, may use their employees to audit the circumstances reported in subsection A to prevent the loss of assets.
D. All state departments, courts, officers, boards, commissions, institutions or other agencies of the Commonwealth, including local constitutional officers and appointed officials exercising the powers of elected constitutional officers and their employees, shall cooperate to the fullest extent in any investigation or audit which may occur at the direction of the Auditor or the Superintendent or both as a result of information reported pursuant to subsection A.
E. The willful failure to make the report as required by this section shall constitute a Class 3 misdemeanor.
F. Nothing herein shall affect the requirements of § 52-8.2.
History
This law was first created in 1984. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 421 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1984 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1997, chapter 825; in 2001, chapter 844; in 2011, chapters 798 and 871.
1984, c. 421, § 2.1-155.3; 1997, c. 825; 2001, c. 844; 2011, cc. 798, 871.