(a) The Commission may on its own initiative investigate any matter that the Commission believes may constitute a violation of this Chapter or Sections 2-109, 11B-51 or 11B-52(a) if the Commission finds in writing that an investigation is necessary to resolve the matter.
(b) Any investigation must be conducted by the staff of the Commission, the County Attorney, or a special counsel or other person temporarily retained by the Commission to conduct the investigation. The Commission must not actively participate in any investigations.
(c) An investigator acting under the authority of the Commission may require any person to:
(1) respond under oath to written questions within 30 days;
(2) produce verified copies of records within 30 days; and
(3) on 15 days notice, attend a deposition to answer under oath questions asked by the investigator.
The investigator must disclose to the person from whom information is sought the general nature and purpose of the inquiry. A person must not refuse to answer written questions, produce records, attend a deposition, or answer questions at a deposition unless the refusal is permitted by law. The investigator may seek from a court of competent jurisdiction an order compelling compliance with this subsection.
(d) The identity of any person who supplies information to an investigator and the report of the investigator must be kept confidential, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Chapter.
(e) The investigator must give the Commission a confidential written report of the investigator's factual findings, the sources of information, and the identity of each person providing information. (1990 L.M.C., ch. 21, § 1; 1997 L.M.C., ch. 37, §1.)
Editor’s note—See County Attorney Opinion dated 8/23/02 describing the elements required for a complaint to the Ethics Commission to initiate an investigation.