The City Fiscal—His powers and duties.
Section 29
SEC. 29. The City Fiscal—His powers and duties.— There shall be a city fiscal and an assistant city fiscal who shall be the chief and .assistant chief of the law department, and who shall discharge their duties under the general supervision of the Secretary of Justice. The City Seal shall be the chief legal adviser of the city and all offices and departments thereof. He shall have the following powers and duties: He shall, personally or through any assistant, represent the city in all civil cases wherein the city or any officer thereof, in his official capacity, is a party; and shall prosecute and defend all civil actions related to or connected with any city officer or interest. He shall, when directed by the Mayor, institute, and prosecute in the city's interest a suit on any bond, lease, or contract and upon any breach or violation thereof. He shall, when requested, attend meetings of the Board, draw ordinances, contracts, bonds, leases, and other instruments involving any interest of the city, and inspect and pass upon any such instruments already drawn. He shall give his opinion in writing, when requested by the Mayor or the Board or any of the heads of the city departments, upon any question relating to the city or the rights, or duties of any city officer thereof. He shall, whenever it is brought to his knowledge that any city officer or employee is guilty of neglect or misconduct in office, or that any person, firm, or corporation holding or exercising any franchise or public privilege from the city, has failed to comply with any condition, or to pay consideration mentioned in the grant of such franchise or privilege, investigate or cause the same to be investigated and report to the Mayor. He shall have charge of the prosecution of all crimes, misdemeanors, and violations of laws and city ordinances, triable in the city court or the Court of First Instance and shall discharge all the duties in respect to criminal prosecutions as are enjoined by law upon provincial fiscals. He shall cause to be investigated all charges of crimes, misdemeanors and violations of law and city ordinances brought to his knowledge, and have the necessary informations or complaints prepared or made against the accused. He or any of his assistants may conduct such investigations by taking oral evidence of reputed witnesses, and for this purpose may issue subpoena to summon witnesses to appear and testify under oath before him, and subpoena duces tecum for the production of documents and other evidence. The attendance of an absent or recalcitrant witness may be enforced by application for a warrant of arrest to the city court or to the Court of First Instance. He shall also cause to be investigated the cause of sudden deaths which have not been satisfactorily explained and when there is suspicion that the cause arose from the unlawful acts or omissions of other persons, or from foul play. For that purpose, he may cause autopsies to be made in case it is deemed necessary and shall be entitled to demand and receive for the purpose of such investigation or autopsies the aid of the city health1 officer, or, subject to the rules and conditions previously established by the Secretary of Justice, that of the medico-legal section of the National Bureau of Investigation. In case the city fiscal deems it necessary to have further expert assistance for the satisfactory performance of his duties in relation with medico-legal matters or knowledge, including the giving of medical testimony in the courts of justice, he shall request the same, in the same manner and subject to the rules and conditions as above specified, from the medico-legal officer of the said Bureau who shall there upon furnish the assistance required, in accordance with his powers and facilities. He shall at all times render such official services as the Mayor or the Municipal Board may require, and shall have such powers and perform such duties as may be prescribed by law or ordinance. He shall perform the duties prescribed by law for register of deeds.