§2617. Powers of enforcement personnel

A. In investigating conduct in violation of any of the provisions of this Chapter or R.S. 40:961 through 1034, a district attorney or his designee may conduct an investigation of the conduct. The district attorney or his designee is authorized to, before the commencement of any civil proceeding or action under this Chapter, subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, examine them under oath, and require the production of documentary evidence for inspection, reproducing, or copying with the same powers and limitations and judicial oversight and enforcement and in the manner provided by this Chapter and by C.C.P. Arts. 1351 et seq. and 1421 et seq. Any person compelled to appear under a demand for oral testimony under this Section may be accompanied, represented, and advised by counsel.

B. The examination of all witnesses under this Section shall be conducted by the district attorney or his designee before an officer authorized to administer oaths. The testimony shall be taken stenographically or by a sound recording device and shall be transcribed. The district attorney shall exclude from the place where the examination is held all persons except the person being examined, his counsel, the officer before whom the testimony is to be taken, law enforcement officials, and any stenographer taking such testimony. The examination shall be conducted in a manner consistent with the C.C.P. Art. 1421 et seq. Testimony obtained pursuant to this Section and in accordance with the provisions of C.C.P. Art. 1421 et seq., pertaining to discovery shall not be used against a claimant in a substantive criminal proceeding, except for perjury or false swearing.

C. Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, no documentary material, or transcripts, or oral testimony, or copies of it, in the possession of the district attorney shall be available, prior to the filing of a civil or criminal proceeding or action relating to it, for examination by any individual other than a law enforcement official or agent of such official without the consent of the person who produced the material or transcripts.

D. No person shall, with intent to avoid, evade, prevent, or obstruct compliance in whole or in part by any person with any duly served subpoena of the district attorney under this Section, knowingly remove from any place, conceal, withhold, destroy, mutilate, alter, or by any other means falsify any documentary material that is the subject of a subpoena. A violation of this Subsection is punishable by a five hundred dollar fine or six months imprisonment, or both.

E. Acts or omissions by the district attorney in the course of their duties in the enforcement of any of the provisions of this Chapter, including provision of any legal services prior to charging, petition or seizure, are prosecutorial and shall not subject the attorneys or their principals to civil liability.

Acts 1989, No. 375, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1990.