Gloss to the resolution of the Supreme Court of 9 November 2021, I KZP 5/21
Marek Ryszard Smarzewski
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0910-9128
Abstract
In the resolution concerned, the Supreme Court stated that a witness giving false testimony out of fear of criminal liability does not commit an offence under Article 233 § 1a of the Penal Code, if, in the exercise of their right of defence, they give false testimony or conceal the truth without if, at the same time, their conduct does not have the qualities of an offence, as specified in another provision of the Act. It is rightly accepted in the doctrine and judicial decisions that the right to defence is the right to defend a person rather than their status in criminal proceedings. This right therefore extends not only to justifications but also to statements made by the accused in the course of the proceedings. An interpretation of the Article 233 § 1a of the Penal Code, consistent with the thesis expressed in the resolution, makes the right to defence of the perpetrator of a prohibited act more realistic, protecting them against self-incrimination also as a witness.
Keywords:
right to defence, suspect, witness, false testimony, criminal liability, right to silence, nemo se ipsum accusare teneturReferences
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The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0910-9128
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