{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/18.2-450.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/18.2-450.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/18.2-450.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/18.2-450.html"}],"law_id":350978,"edition_id":2,"section_id":350978,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-450","catch_line":"Immunity of witnesses","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-282.3; 1968, c. 552; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","full_text":"No witness called by the court or attorney for the Commonwealth and giving evidence for the prosecution, either before the grand jury or the court in any prosecution under this article shall ever be proceeded against for any offense of giving, or offering to give, or accepting a bribe committed by him at the time and place indicated in such prosecution; but such witness shall be compelled to testify, and for refusing to answer questions, may by the court, be punished for contempt.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1307341,"text":"No witness called by the court or attorney for the Commonwealth and giving evidence for the prosecution, either before the grand jury or the court in any prosecution under this article shall ever be proceeded against for any offense of giving, or offering to give, or accepting a bribe committed by him at the time and place indicated in such prosecution; but such witness shall be compelled to testify, and for refusing to answer questions, may by the court, be punished for contempt.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50200,"edition_id":2,"name":"Bribery of Public Servants and Party Officials","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":3,"parent_id":50197,"metadata":{"child_laws":5,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:24:31","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:27","permalink":{"id":1391289,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50200,"identifier":"3","token":"18.2\/10\/3","url":"\/18.2\/10\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50197,"edition_id":2,"name":"Crimes Against the Administration of Justice","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":10,"parent_id":50131,"metadata":{"child_laws":65,"child_structures":7},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:24:29","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:26","permalink":{"id":1391223,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50197,"identifier":"10","token":"18.2\/10","url":"\/18.2\/10\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50131,"edition_id":2,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":52,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":960,"child_structures":94},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:22:59","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:15","permalink":{"id":1391141,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50131,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":350973,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-446","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/18.2-446\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-446","metadata":false},{"id":350974,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-447","catch_line":"When person guilty of bribery","url":"\/18.2-447\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-447","metadata":false},{"id":350975,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-448","catch_line":"Certain matters not to constitute defenses","url":"\/18.2-448\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-448","metadata":false},{"id":350976,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-449","catch_line":"Punishment","url":"\/18.2-449\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-449","metadata":false},{"id":350978,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-450","catch_line":"Immunity of witnesses","url":"\/18.2-450\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-450","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":350976,"structure_id":50200,"section_number":"18.2-449","catch_line":"Punishment","url":"\/18.2-449\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-449","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-450\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1968, chapter 552; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1391307,"object_type":"law","relational_id":350978,"identifier":"18.2-450","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-450","url":"\/18.2-450\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-450\/","token":"18.2\/10\/3\/18.2-450","dublin_core":{"Title":"Immunity of witnesses","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-450","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>No <span class=\"dictionary\">witness<\/span> called by the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> or attorney for the Commonwealth and giving <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span> for the <span class=\"dictionary\">prosecution<\/span>, either before the <span class=\"dictionary\">grand jury<\/span> or the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> in any <span class=\"dictionary\">prosecution<\/span> under this article shall ever be proceeded against for any <span class=\"dictionary\">offense<\/span> of giving, or offering to give, or accepting a bribe committed by him at the time and place indicated in such <span class=\"dictionary\">prosecution<\/span>; but such <span class=\"dictionary\">witness<\/span> shall be compelled to testify, and for refusing to answer questions, may by the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span>, be punished for <span class=\"dictionary\">contempt<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nIMMUNITY OF WITNESSES (\u00a7 18.2-450)\n\nNo witness called by the court or attorney for the Commonwealth and giving\nevidence for the prosecution, either before the grand jury or the court in any\nprosecution under this article shall ever be proceeded against for any offense\nof giving, or offering to give, or accepting a bribe committed by him at the\ntime and place indicated in such prosecution; but such witness shall be\ncompelled to testify, and for refusing to answer questions, may by the court, be\npunished for contempt.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-282.3; 1968, c. 552; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}