Pennsylvania § 4544 - Convening multicounty investigating grand jury.

§ 4544. Convening multicounty investigating grand jury.

(a) General rule.--Application for a multicounty investigating grand jury may be made by the Attorney General to the Supreme Court. In such application the Attorney General shall state that, in his judgment, the convening of a multicounty investigating grand jury is necessary because of organized crime or public corruption or both involving more than one county of the Commonwealth and that, in his judgment, the investigation cannot be adequately performed by an investigating grand jury available under section 4543 (relating to convening county investigating grand jury). The application shall specify for which counties the multicounty investigating grand jury is to be convened. Within ten days of receipt of such application, the court shall issue an order granting the same. Failure by an individual justice to grant such application shall be appealable to the entire Supreme Court.

(b) Contents of order.--An order issued under subsection (a) shall:

(1) convene a multicounty investigating grand jury having Statewide jurisdiction, or jurisdiction over all counties requested in the application by the Attorney General;

(2) designate a judge of a court of common pleas to be the supervising judge over such multicounty investigating grand jury and provide that such judge shall with respect to investigations, presentments, reports, and all other proper activities of said investigating multicounty grand jury, have jurisdiction over all counties in the jurisdiction of said multicounty investigating grand jury;

(3) designate the counties which shall supply jurors and in what ratios;

(4) designate a location or locations for the multicounty investigating grand jury proceeding; and

(5) provide for such other incidental arrangements as may be necessary including the Commonwealth's share of expenses.

All matters to be included in such order shall be determined by the justice issuing the order in any manner which he deems appropriate, except that the Supreme Court may adopt general rules, consistent with the provisions of this section, establishing standard procedures for the convening of multicounty investigating grand juries.

(c) Manner of impaneling.--The multicounty investigating grand jury shall be impaneled in the manner provided or prescribed by law.

(d) Effect on district attorneys.--The impaneling of a multicounty investigating grand jury shall in no way diminish the responsibility and the authority of the district attorneys within their jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute organized crime or public corruption or both.

Cross References. Section 4544 is referred to in sections 1906.1, 4547 of this title.