Sec. 19c.
Any witness who neglects or refuses to appear or testify or both in response to a summons of the grand jury or to answer any questions before the grand jury concerning any matter or thing of which the witness has knowledge concerning matters before the grand jury after service of a true copy of an order granting the witness immunity as to such matters shall be guilty of a contempt and after a public hearing in open court and conviction of such contempt shall be fined not exceeding $10,000.00 or imprisoned not exceeding 1 year, or both. If the witness thereafter appears before the court to purge himself of such contempt, the court shall order the recalling of the grand jury to afford such opportunity, and after appearance of the witness before the grand jury upon a transcript of the testimony there and then given, the witness shall be brought before the court and after examination, the court shall determine whether the witness has purged himself of the contempt and shall commute the sentence upon a finding that the witness has purged himself.
History: Add. 1970, Act 9, Imd. Eff. Mar. 26, 1970
Constitutionality: In People v David Johnson, 407 Mich 134; 283 NW2d 632 (1979), the Michigan supreme court held that an indigent witness has a right under the due process clause of the Michigan constitution to the assistance and appointment of counsel at contempt proceedings in respect to a citizens' grand jury which may result in incarceration.
Last modified: October 10, 2016