Walker's primary opponent, deputy state treasurer Richard Ellis, initially filed an elections complaint with the lieutenant governor's office that claimed Walker offered him the opportunity to keep his job at a substantially higher salary if he agreed to end his candidacy.

A Zions Bank executive, Carl Empey, reportedly acted as a go-between. Walker allegedly assured Ellis that he had talked about the $55,000 pay raise with a legislator "who could make it happen."

There has been speculation that the legislator in question was House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, something Curtis has repeatedly denied. Tuesday, he shrugged off the possibility he could be called before the grand jury.

"I am not worried at all. I have no involvement with anything in this situation, whether I get dragged before the grand jury or not," the speaker said, adding he did not believe the proceedings are "an indictment on the House."

Curtis said he was not aware of any legislators being targeted by the investigation. "This is more of an issue for Zions and the state treasurer's office, I believe," he said.

Ellis won the primary and now faces Democrat Dick Clark in the general election. He said his attorney assured him he would not be charged in the case. "I am not a target of the grand jury investigation," Ellis said, although he does expect to be called as a witness.

The decision by prosecutors to take the case to a grand jury means it won't be resolved before the Nov. 4 election. Ellis said he was "hoping it would get taken care of and we could move on over the next three weeks."

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Contributing: Linda Thomson

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com; bwinslow@desnews.com