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Former Utah Attorney General John Swallow wants to know why the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to bring criminal public corruption charges against him.

Lawyers for Swallow asked a Utah judge Wednesday to order the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office to secure and share all of the "reports, recordings, memoranda and/or other materials related to the decision."

Swallow seeks the information — particularly anything that exonerates him — to fight the state criminal charges he now faces, 3rd District Court papers say.

To date, Swallow attorney Scott C. Williams contends, all requests for the information have been refused by state prosecutors and investigators.The DOJ's Public Integrity Section declined to bring criminal charges against the former Utah attorney general and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff, in 2013 after an FBI investigation.

Salt Lake County and Davis County prosecutors filed state criminal charges against both men the next year.

Shurtleff's case was dismissed in July — partly because Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said federal agencies had withheld evidence.

Swallow has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony and misdemeanor counts that could land him in prison for up to 30 years. A trial is set for February.

In court papers, Williams argues that some Utah investigators and prosecutors are "fully aware" of the reasons behind the DOJ's decision.

"It is understandable that these heavily invested and chagrined agents would prefer that Mr. Swallow (and the public) not know why the experts at DOJ/PIN concluded charges were not warranted, since such a decision runs directly contrary to the state's present prosecution," court papers say. "However, the basis for such reasons are obviously likely to tend to expose exculpatory evidence regarding the case against Mr. Swallow."

If no reports, memos or other materials were generated, Williams asked the court to grant Swallow an evidentiary hearing so investigators can be questioned under oath. "The state should not be allowed to avoid due process by simply failing to document information so they can conveniently claim there is nothing to provide."