South Carolina Code 1-6-100. Confidentiality of identity of person reporting information in good faith; public inspection; exception
(1) the State Inspector General makes a written determination that it is in the public interest to disclose the individual’s identity; or
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 1-6-100
- Agency: means an authority, board, branch, commission, committee, department, division, or other instrumentality of the executive department of state government, including administrative bodies and bodies corporate and politic established as an instrumentality of the State. See South Carolina Code 1-6-10
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Employee: includes an individual who contracts with an agency for personal services. See South Carolina Code 1-6-10
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Person: means :
(a) an individual, labor union and organization, joint apprenticeship committee, partnership, association, corporation, legal representative, mutual company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, trustee, trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, or other legal or commercial entity located in part or in whole in the State or doing business in the State;
(b) the State and any agency or local subdivision of an agency; or
(c) a political subdivision. See South Carolina Code 1-6-10 - Wrongdoing: means action by an agency which results in substantial abuse, misuse, destruction, or loss of substantial public funds or public resources. See South Carolina Code 1-6-10
(2) the individual consents in writing to disclosure of the individual’s identity.
(B) After an investigation is completed and a report is issued pursuant to § 1-6-50(C), the investigative records of the State Inspector General are subject to public inspection pursuant to Chapter 4 of this title. However, if an individual’s identity is confidential pursuant to subsection (A), the individual’s identity or any information that reasonably might lead to the discovery of the individual’s identity must not be disclosed, except as pursuant to subsection (A) or subsection (E).
(C) This subsection does not apply to a person who is a party to an action brought by the State Inspector General. Information received by the State Inspector General is not required to be produced in the course of discovery, unless ordered by a court after a showing of particularized need and proof that the information requested cannot be obtained from another source.
(D) Except as provided in subsection (E), a person commits the misdemeanor of unlawful disclosure of confidential information if he knowingly or intentionally discloses:
(1) confidential information or records; or
(2) the identity of a person whose identity is confidential under subsection (A).
A person convicted pursuant to this subsection must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year. If the person convicted is an officer or employee of the State, he must be dismissed from office or employment and is ineligible to hold any public office in this State for a period of five years after the conviction.
(E) A person may disclose confidential information, records, or an individual’s identity that is confidential pursuant to subsection (A) if the Governor authorizes the disclosure of this information in the public interest.