perjury

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perjury

perjury , in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. If the person accused of perjury had any probable cause for his belief that the statement he made was true, then he is not guilty of perjury. In U.S. federal law, and in most states, a false statement must be material to a point of inquiry in order to constitute perjury. Perjury is a crime and may be punished by fine or imprisonment. One can retract false testimony in the course of a criminal procedure without committing perjury. The crime of inducing another person to commit perjury is called subornation of perjury.

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perjury

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

per·ju·ry / ˈpərjərē/ • n. (pl. -ries) Law the offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation. DERIVATIVES: per·ju·ri·ous / pərˈjoŏrēəs/ adj.

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"perjury." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 15 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Let your yes be yes.(views of perjury today, and throughout history) Magazine article from: The Christian Century; 7/28/1999
	PAKISTAN: ELIMINATING PERJURY BY IKRAM SEHGAL. Newspaper article from: IPR Strategic Business Information Database; 12/13/2005
	Detroit Mayor Charged With Perjury News Wire article from: AP Online; 3/24/2008

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