(1) Upon inquiry, a witness shall not be required to answer any questions or be convicted for contempt upon refusal to do so If the answers might tend to incriminate him or her.
  (2) Upon written motion by the prosecuting attorney or a duly authorized representative of the state in a proceeding described in section 3 of this chapter, the judge may enter a written order granting immunity to the witness. The order shall set forth verbatim the questions the witness refused to answer. A true copy of the motion and order shall be delivered to the witness before he or she answers the questions in the inquiry. The order granting immunity shall extend to all related questions which may be asked of the witness after entry of the order until the judge advises the witness that the immunity no longer applies.

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 767.6

  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
  • Prosecuting attorney: means the prosecuting attorney for a county, an assistant prosecuting attorney for a county, the attorney general, the deputy attorney general, an assistant attorney general, a special prosecuting attorney, or, in connection with the prosecution of an ordinance violation, an attorney for the political subdivision or governmental entity that enacted the ordinance, charter, rule, or regulation upon which the ordinance violation is based. See Michigan Laws 761.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  (3) Truthful testimony compelled under the order granting immunity and any information derived directly or indirectly from that truthful testimony shall not be used against the witness in a criminal case, except for impeachment purposes or in a prosecution for perjury or otherwise failing to comply with the order.
  (4) All questions and the witness’s answers shall be transcribed under the judge’s direction. A true copy of the transcript, duly certified by the judge, shall be delivered to the witness as soon as practicable.
  (5) The provisions for secrecy provided for in section 3 of this chapter apply to all copies of the motion, order, and transcript delivered to the witness. However, the witness may disclose that information to his or her attorney if his or her testimony or any information derived directly or indirectly from that testimony is used against the witness in violation of subsection (3).
  (6) An order granting immunity does not extend beyond the scope of an inquiry described in this section or beyond the particular questions set forth in the motion, order, or transcript.
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