what is perjury?

Answer 1

Lying or not telling the truth in a court of law.

From Dictionary.com:

the willful giving of false testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, upon a point material to a legal inquiry.

Answer 2

willful, knowing, and corrupt giving under oath of false testimony regarded as material to the issue or point of inquiry. All elements of the crime are essential for conviction. Criminal intent is required; a person who makes a false statement and then later corrects himself has not committed perjury.

Answer 3

Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. Perjury is a crime because the witness has sworn to tell the truth and, for the credibility of the court, witness testimony must be relied on as being truthful. Perjury is considered a very serious crime as it could be used to usurp the power of the courts, resulting in miscarriages of justice. In the United States, for example, the general perjury statute under Federal law provides for a prison sentence of up to five years, and is found at 18 U.S.C. § 1621. See also 28 U.S.C. § 1746.

The rules for perjury also apply to witnesses who have affirmed they are telling the truth. Affirmation is used by a witness who is unable to swear to tell the truth. For example, in the United Kingdom a witness may swear on the Bible or other holy book. If a witness has no religion, or does not wish to swear on a holy book, the witness may make an affirmation he or she is telling the truth instead.

The rules for perjury also apply when a person has made a statement under penalty of perjury, even if the person has not been sworn or affirmed as a witness before an appropriate official. An example of this is the United States' income tax return, which, by law, must be signed as true and correct under penalty of perjury (see 26 U.S.C. § 6065). Federal tax law provides criminal penalties of up to three years in prison for violation of the tax return perjury statute. See 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1).

Statements of interpretation of fact are not perjury because people often make inaccurate statements unwittingly and not deliberately. Individuals may have honest but mistaken beliefs about certain facts or their recollection may be inaccurate. Like most other crimes in the common law system, to be convicted of perjury you have to have had the intention (the mens rea) to commit the act, and to have actually committed the act (the actus reus).

In some countries such as France, suspects cannot be heard under oath and thus do not commit perjury, whatever they say during their trial.

Answer 4

When you are under oath in a court it is illegal to tell a lie. The crime is called perjury.

Answer 5

Perjury is lying in a court of law. It is also (if found guilty) punishable by going to prison. If that happens, then you get to meet me.

Answer 6

1. The deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under oath.

2. The breach of an oath or promise.

Answer 7

False statments under oath

Answer 8

to lie under oath in a court of law

Answer 9

Lying under oath.

Answer 10

lying under oath in court