18-8-505. Perjury or false swearing - inconsistent statements.
166 words·~1 min read·
/co/title-18-criminal-code/article-8-offenses-governmental-operations/18-8-505·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
(1)Where a person charged with perjury or false swearing has made inconsistent material statements under oath,
both having been made within the period of the statute of limitations, the prosecution may proceed by setting forth the inconsistent statements in a single count alleging in the alternative that one or the other was false and not believed by the defendant. In such case it shall not be necessary for the prosecution to prove which statement was false but only that one or the other statement was false and not believed by the defendant to be true.
(2)The highest offense of which a person may be convicted in such an instance shall be determined by hypothetically assuming each statement to be false. If the assumption establishes perjury of different degrees, the person may be convicted of the lesser degree at most. If perjury or false swearing is established by the making of the two statements, the person may be convicted of false swearing at the most.