The Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Bill 2018 has passed though all stages in the Oireachtas. The new legislation has been welcomed by retail groups including RGDATA and CSNA.
Ireland is the last common law country in the world to pass much needed perjury legislation to tackle white-collar crime and fraudulent litigation.
Exaggerated and false personal injuries claims place a burden of hundreds of millions of euros annually on retailers and business owners through excessive insurance costs.
While perjury is a common law offence in Ireland, it has been very difficult to prosecute until now. The result is that parties can lie with impunity, as they are never prosecuted. The deterrence of white-collar crime has always been seen as the most important outcome of a functioning perjury statute.
