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Perjury by Inconsistent Statements

14 October, 2015 - 10:27

Some jurisdictions criminalize perjury by inconsistent or contradictory statements, which is slightly different from criminal perjury.   1 Perjury by inconsistent statements is easier to prove than traditional perjury because the prosecution can simply offer evidence that the defendant made statements that are inconsistent, in a judicial proceeding, after taking a validly administered oath. Corroborative evidence is not required, and the prosecution does not have the burden of proving that one of the statements is false, just that one or the other was false and not believed by the defendant to be true.   2 The Model Penal Code has a similar provision (Model Penal Code § 241.1(5)).