22-3101. Inquisitions; witnesses. (1) If the attorney general, an assistant attorney general, the county attorney or the district attorney of any county is informed or has knowledge of any alleged violation of the laws of Kansas, such person may apply to a district judge to conduct an inquisition. An application for an inquisition shall be in writing, verified under oath, setting forth the alleged violation of law. Upon the filing of the application, the judge with whom it is filed, on the written praecipe of such attorney, shall issue a subpoena for the witnesses named in such praecipe commanding them to appear and testify concerning the matters under investigation. Such subpoenas shall be served and returned as subpoenas for witnesses in criminal cases in the district court.

(2) If the attorney general, assistant attorney general, county attorney or district attorney, or in the absence of the county or district attorney a designated assistant county or district attorney, is informed or has knowledge of any alleged violation in this state pertaining to terrorism, illegal use of weapons of mass destruction, gambling, intoxicating liquors, criminal syndicalism, racketeering, bribery, tampering with a sports contest, narcotic or dangerous drugs or any violation of any law where the accused is a fugitive from justice, such attorney shall be authorized to issue subpoenas for such persons as such attorney has any reason to believe or has any information relating thereto or knowledge thereof, to appear before such attorney at a time and place to be designated in the subpoena and testify concerning any such violation. For such purposes, any prosecuting attorney shall be authorized to administer oaths. If an assistant county or district attorney is designated by the county or district attorney for the purposes of this subsection, such designation shall be filed with the chief judge of such judicial district.

(3) Each witness shall be sworn to make true answers to all questions propounded to such witness touching the matters under investigation. The testimony of each witness shall be reduced to writing and signed by the witness. Any person who disobeys a subpoena issued for such appearance or refuses to be sworn as a witness or answer any proper question propounded during the inquisition, may be adjudged in contempt of court and punished by fine and imprisonment.

History: L. 1970, ch. 129, § 22-3101; L. 1976, ch. 145, § 107; L. 1994, ch. 348, § 7; L. 1999, ch. 57, § 31; L. 2006, ch. 146, § 10; July 1.