Description du crime de parjure par la Cour d'appel du Québec, sous la plume du juge Rothman

R. c. Harouya, 2009 QCCS 6074 (CanLII)

[16] La Cour d'appel du Québec, sous la plume du juge Rothman, décrit ainsi le crime de parjure (Éthier c. La Reine):

« No one can doubt the seriousness of conspiracy, incitement to commit perjury, to fabricate evidence and to obstruct justice. These offences go to the very heart of the criminal justice system and threaten to subvert the means by which society is empowered to protect itself from criminal wrong-doing. The gravity with which Parliament views perjury is reflected in the maximum penalty of 14 years of imprisonment provided under Sec. 132. – Obstruction of justice, under Sec. 139, provides for a maximum penalty of 10 years ».

[17] Il ajoute ceci :

« Because of the seriousness of these crimes and the necessity for protecting the justice system, the emphasis in sentencing persons convicted of offenses against the administration of justice must be on general deterrence. For that reason, custodial sentences have usually been imposed in these cases, even on first offenders with good backgrounds ».

[19] Tel que mentionné dans le livre intitulé Sentencing :

« Using false testimony to bring the weighty powers of the state to bear against the liberty of innocent individuals is a particularly heinous abuse, and, more generally, the offence of perjury is seen to strike at the very root of a justice system that is designed to protect society ».