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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>63803</law_id><section_number>52-8.2</section_number><catch_line>Certain investigations of elected officials; immunity for witnesses</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>30-138</reference><reference>52-9</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="52">Police (State)</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">Department of State Police</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> No investigation of an elected official of the Commonwealth or any political subdivision to determine whether a criminal violation has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur under the provisions of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Powers and duties of Bureau of Criminal Investigation" href="/52-8.1/">52-8.1</a> shall be initiated, undertaken or continued except upon the request of the Governor, <span class="dictionary">Attorney General</span> or a <span class="dictionary">grand jury</span>. <a id="paragraph-232480" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/52-8.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> In any <span class="dictionary">grand jury</span> proceeding or criminal <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> involving a person who was at the time of the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> an elected official of the Commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof resulting from an investigation under subsection A, any <span class="dictionary">witness</span> called by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> or attorney for the Commonwealth and required to give <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> for the <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> who refuses to testify or produce <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> by expressly invoking his right not to <span class="dictionary">incriminate</span> himself may be compelled to testify or produce <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> by the presiding <span class="dictionary">judge</span>. A <span class="dictionary">witness</span> who refuses to testify or produce <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> after being ordered to do so by the presiding <span class="dictionary">judge</span> may be held in <span class="dictionary">contempt</span> and may be incarcerated until the <span class="dictionary">contempt</span> is purged by compliance with the <span class="dictionary">order</span>. When a <span class="dictionary">witness</span> is compelled to testify or produce <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> after expressly invoking his right not to <span class="dictionary">incriminate</span> himself, and the presiding <span class="dictionary">judge</span> has determined that the assertion of the right is bona fide, the compelled <span class="dictionary">testimony</span>, or any information directly or indirectly derived from such <span class="dictionary">testimony</span> or other information, shall not be used against the <span class="dictionary">witness</span> in any criminal proceeding except a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> for <span class="dictionary">perjury</span>. <a id="paragraph-232481" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/52-8.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1977, c. 331; 1991, c. 675.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
