U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 4206. Rights of declarants; notifications; Government accountability

(a) In general

A person who has filed a declaration that meets the requirements of sections 4201 through 4204 of this title shall have the rights stated in this section.

(b) Notice of decision not to pursue

If, after review, the Attorney General concludes that the information contained in a declaration should not be pursued in a civil or criminal proceeding, the Attorney General shall so notify the declarant in writing and shall provide a brief statement of the reasons that the declaration will not be pursued.

(1) When the United States obtains a judgment, order, or settlement based in whole or in part on a valid declaration filed under section 4201 of this title, the Attorney General shall notify the declarant in writing of such fact.

(2) A notice described in paragraph (1) shall contain—

(A) the Attorney General’s determination of the amount of the award due the declarant under subsection (c) or (d) of section 4205 of this title upon recovery by the United States; and

(B) a short statement of reasons for the amount of the award.

(d) Notice of pendency of investigation or proceeding

If the Attorney General has not provided the declarant with notice under subsection (b) of this section or a notice of invalidity pursuant to section 4204 of this title within the time period set forth in subsection (e) of this section, the Attorney General shall notify the declarant in writing that—

(1) there is a pending investigation or proceeding in the course of which the declarant’s allegations are being addressed; or

(2) the declarant’s allegations have not yet been addressed.

(e) Time for notices

(1) In the case of a valid declaration filed not more than 3 years after November 29, 1990, the Attorney General shall send notification to a declarant pursuant to subsection (d) of this section not later than 3 years after the date of filing of the declaration.

(2)

(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), in the case of a declaration filed more than 3 years after November 29, 1990, the Attorney General shall send notification not later than 1 year after the date of filing of the declaration.

(B) If the Attorney General certifies that it is in the interest of the United States to give further consideration to the information provided in the declaration for an additional 90-day period, the Attorney General shall so notify the declarant in writing.

(f) Confidentiality of notices

All notices provided to a declarant under this section shall be kept confidential by the declarant in the same manner, and subject to the same penalties, as the declaration under section 4203 of this title.

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