Perjurio y declaraciones falsas en procedimientos oficiales

Explicación Simple

Si alguien miente bajo juramento en un juicio, puede ser castigado. Es como si prometieras que hiciste tu tarea y luego confiesas que no la hiciste, pero ya sabes que eso es malo.

Es como cuando en un juego de equipo, un jugador dice que hizo un gol, pero en realidad no lo hizo. Si el árbitro se entera, puede sancionarlo porque no se puede mentir en el juego.

Ejemplo Práctico

Imagina que Juan es testigo en un juicio. Si bajo juramento dice que vio a Pedro en el lugar del crimen, pero en realidad no lo vio, Juan puede enfrentarse a serias consecuencias por mentir.

Penalidades

El perjurio es un delito grave (felonía de clase C), mientras que las declaraciones falsas son faltas menores (delito de clase A).

Texto Original del Estatuto (Inglés)

CHAPTER 12.1-11 PERJURY - FALSIFICATION - BREACH OF DUTY 12.1-11-01. Perjury. 1. A person is guilty of perjury, a class C felony, if, in an official proceeding, the person makes a false statement under oath or equivalent affirmation, or swears or affirms the truth of a false statement previously made, when the statement is material and the person does not believe the statement to be true. 2. Commission of perjury need not be proved by any particular number of witnesses or by documentary or other types of evidence. 3. If in the course of one or more official proceedings, the defendant made a statement under oath or equivalent affirmation inconsistent with another statement made by the defendant under oath or equivalent affirmation to the degree that one of them is necessarily false, both having been made within the period of the statute of limitations, the prosecution may set forth the statements in a single count alleging in the alternative that one or the other was false and not believed by the defendant to be true. Proof that the defendant made such statements constitutes a prima facie case that one or the other of the statements was false, but in the absence of sufficient proof of which statement was false, the defendant may be convicted under this section only if each of such statements was material to the official proceeding in which it was made. 4. For purposes of this section, "false statement under oath or equivalent affirmation" includes a writing made in accordance with chapters 31-14 and 31-15. 12.1-11-02. False statements. 1. A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if, in an official proceeding, he makes a false statement, whether or not material, under oath or equivalent affirmation, or swears or af