Definition
Perjury (Ro.: sperjur, jurământ fals, mărturie mincinoasă, Gr.: ψευδορκία, Cz.: křivé svědectví, Cr.: krivokletstvo/Davanje lažnog iskaza/Lažno svjedočenje) (See also: Forswearing, Contempt of Court, Felony, Criminal Offence, False Testimony under Oath, False Swearing, Miscarriage of Justice, Two-witness rule) = a felony consisting in producing a false testimony under oath, either in Open Court or by means of an affidavit, within the course of a judicial proceeding.
Perjury entails a specific intent to deceive, therefore leaving aside any unwilling omissions, honest mistakes, imperfect recollections, or personal interpretations of the facts in question; furthermore, it only covers the false statements that are relevant to the judicial proceeding in question and may alter its outcome.
Subornation of ~ (instigare la ~) = the criminal offence of inducing another to commit perjury.
Useful links
Legislation
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/1-2/6/contents - United Kingdom’s Perjury Act, 1911
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_Criminal_Law/Offences/Perjury - Canadian Criminal Law, Perjury
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328793.html - New Zealand Legislation, Crimes Act 1961.
http://legeaz.net/cod-penal-actualizat-2011/art-260-cpen - Romanian Criminal Code, Law 15/1968
http://www.pontes.ro/ro/legislatie/noul-cod-penal.pdf - The New Romanian Criminal Code, Law 286/2009, article 273
Case law
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/perjury/
www.jurisprudenta.com/speta/infracţiuni-care-împiedică-înfăptuirea-justiţiei-mărturia-mincinoasă-6z66e/
www.jurisprudenta.com/speta/mărturie-mincinoasă-condiţie:-martorul-să-fi-fost-întrebat-6zze1/
www.jurisprudenta.com/speta/retragerea-mărturiei-cauză-de-nepedepsire-6zzvs/
Online articles
http://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=30944 - What Can You Do When Someone Commits Perjury?
http://www.defending.com/perjury-cases - Defending Perjury Cases
http://www.legalinfo.com/content/criminal-law/crime-overview-perjury.html - Crime Overview Perjury
Publications
Shuy, W.R., 2011: The Language of Perjury Cases, USA, Oxford University Press.
http://books.google.ro/books?id=cVcGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA328&dq=perjury&hl=ro&sa=X&ei=R-yiUpTaKcvNygP684DADQ&ved=0CGwQ6AEwCDgU#v=onepage&q=perjury&f=false – Scheb, J.M., 2008: Criminal Law and Procedure, 6th edition, USA, Thomson.
http://books.google.ro/books?id=BcEIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA381&dq=perjury&hl=ro&sa=X&ei=-uyiUoCoCa_AygOUy4CQCw&ved=0CC8Q6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=perjury&f=false – Scheb, J.M., 2001: Criminal Law, USA, Thomson.
Bogdan, S., 2009: Drept penal. Partea specială, România, Universul Juridic, pg. 350-354.
By Andrada Rusan