Perjury

Perjury is lying or making verifiably false statements under oath in a court of law. Perjury is a crime because the witness has sworn to tell the truth, and for the credibility of the court, witness testimony must be relied on as being truthful. It is seen as a very serious crime as it seeks to usurp the authority of the courts, because it can lead to miscarriages of justice.

Famous perjurers

Famous perjurers include:

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• Jonathan Aitken, British politician, who was a member of John Major's cabinet, sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for perjury
• Jeffrey Archer, British novelist and politician, sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for perjury
• Lil' Kim, American Rapper
• Rafael Palmeiro, faces perjury charges for possible false testimony in front of Congress
• Bill Clinton, impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998. The perjury charge was later rejected by the Senate, with 55 not-guilty votes and 45 guilty votes preventing a conviction; however, Clinton was forced to surrender his law license and is unable to speak before the U.S. Supreme Court.