“… I know that you actually knew everything. How could you lie to me with a straight face?... (singing through tears).”
A useful law we are sharing today really fits this song, Ko Hok Na Tai (lie with a straight face). The topic today is False report. Let us take a look at what penalty for filing a false report is. Everyone especially liars must read!
1. Filing a False Police Report
Intentionally writing, reporting, or answering the police with misinformation which causes defamation.
Penalties
The penalties for filing a false police report under Criminal Code are as follows:
Section 137 Any person who reports to any official knowing the report to be false, and is likely to cause defamation, shall be imprisoned not exceeding 6 months, or fine not exceeding 10,000 baht, or both.
Section 172 Any person who reports false information concerning a criminal offence to the Public Prosecutor, official conducting cases, inquiry official or any official who has the power to investigate the criminal cases which may cause defamation, shall be imprisoned not exceeding 2 years, or fined not exceeding 40,000 baht, or both.
Section 173 Any person who gives information of the offence to the inquiry official or the official having the power to investigate the criminal cases, knowing that he/she has not committed any offence, shall be imprisoned not exceeding 3 years and fined not exceeding 60,000 baht.
Section 174 If the information according to Section 172 or Section 173 is in order to maliciously subject any person to the measures of safety, the offender shall be imprisoned not exceeding 3 years and fined not exceeding 60,000 baht (if the information according to the first paragraph is in order to maliciously subject any person to a punishment or a heavier punishment, the offender shall be imprisoned not exceeding 5 years and fined not exceeding 100,000 baht.
2. Filing a False Report of a Crime
Any person who makes a false accusation shall be deemed as committing an offense against Section 175 specifying that “any person who gives the false information to the Court to charge a defendant with the criminal offence or felony, shall be imprisoned not exceeding 5 years and fined not exceeding 10,000 baht.” and Section 176 specifying that “whenever any person having committed the offence according to Section 175 apologizes to the Court, and withdraws or amends the charge before the judgment of the Court is given, the Court shall give less severe punishment specified in the law, or the Court may not give any punishment at all.”
3. Perjury
If a witness giving false evidence/ testimony to the Court whether in civil or criminal cases, or a defendant claiming him/herself as an evidence in a civil case gives false evidence/testimony to the Court according to Section 177 “Any person who gives a false evidence to the Court in the judicial proceedings, if such false evidence is an essential matter in the case, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 5 years, or fined not exceeding 100,000 baht, or both.”
If the offense is in accordance with the first paragraph but is committed in criminal case, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 7 years, or fined not exceeding 140,000 baht.
Every action has its own consequences. Lying especially to officials or the Court in an investigation will surely get a result of this action. Whoever is thinking of committing this offense, must think again.
Credit: Office of Justice Affairs