Crimes against Justice Bill 2005

that the following Chapter be added to the Criminal Coode:

CHAPTER 954 CRIMES AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE

954.1 JUDICIAL CORRUPTION You commit this Class A offence if, as a judge, you solicit or accept a bribe or other improper reward, on account of anything already done or omitted or offered to be done or omitted in your judicial capacity.

954.2 PERJURY You commit this Class B offence if, in any judicial proceeding or for the purposes of instituting a judicial proceeding, you knowingly give evidence which is false in a material particular.

954.3 CORRUPTION OR INTIMIDATION OF WITNESSES You commit this Class B offence if you:

954.31 threaten, intimidate, restrain, or impede a person called or to be called as a witness in a judicial proceeding; or

954.32 give or offer a benefit of any kind to such a person as an inducement to perjury.

954.4 JUDICIAL BRIBERY You commit this Class B offence if you give, promise or offer a bribe or other improper reward to a judge in order to procure an act of judicial corruption.

954.5 CRIMINAL FACILITATION You commit a Class C Offence if you hide someone who has committed a crime, help their escape, destroy evidence concerning the crime, or in other like ways impede its discovery or prosecution.

954.6 ATTEMPTING TO PERVERT JUSTICE You commit this Class C offence if you attempt, in any way not specially defined in this Act, to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of justice in relation to any judicial proceeding.

954.7 CONTEMPT OF COURT The courts have inherent power to protect the integrity of their proceedings by punishing contempts, including the power to punish contempts in the face of the court summarily. Only the formulated rules of law apply to contempt of court.

Passed this day by unanimous consent and submitted for presidential signature

Alan Grieve
Speaker

Signed into law by the president 1 July 2005.