Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

CRIMINAL CODE 2002 - SECT 705

    (1)     A person commits an offence if the person makes false evidence with the intention of—

        (a)     influencing a decision about starting a legal proceeding; or

        (b)     influencing the outcome of a legal proceeding.

Maximum penalty: 700 penalty units, imprisonment for 7 years or both.

    (2)     A person commits an offence if—

        (a)     the person uses false evidence; and

        (b)     the person—

              (i)     knows the evidence is false; or

              (ii)     believes the evidence is false; and

        (c)     the person is reckless about whether the use of the evidence could—

              (i)     influence a decision about starting a legal proceeding; or

              (ii)     influence the outcome of a legal proceeding.

Maximum penalty: 700 penalty units, imprisonment for 7 years or both.

    (3)     Subsection (2) does not apply to—

        (a)     a lawyer or person assisting a lawyer who uses the evidence on instructions from a client and does not know that the evidence is false; or

        (b)     a person who—

              (i)     is, or may be, involved in a legal proceeding as a law enforcement officer, lawyer, or party (or as a person assisting any of them); and

              (ii)     uses the evidence for a legitimate forensic purpose in the proceeding.

    (4)     Subsection (2) (b) (i) does not apply to a person who discloses, when or before using the evidence, that the evidence is false.

    (5)     Subsection (2) (b) (ii) does not apply to a person who discloses, when or before using the evidence, that the person believes the evidence is false.

    (6)     In this section:

"legitimate forensic purpose" includes the purpose of demonstrating that evidence is false or misleading.

"make" evidence includes change evidence, but does not include commit perjury or aggravated perjury.