Criminal charges for lying government officials
A new proposed Parliamentary rule could see government officials caught lying to Parliament facing disciplinary action and possible criminal charges.
According to a report by the Sunday Independent, rules relating to untruthful accounts before committees and the National Assembly do not currently cater for government officials who account to Parliament on a regular basis.
According to rules sub-committee member Lemias Mashile, the rule in the spotlight — Rule 138 A — has only ever been applied to witnesses brought before National Assembly and committees, and not to any government officials.
Rule 138 states that before providing evidence to the House or committee, witnesses should be informed that they should answer truthfully, and that they could incriminate and expose themselves to criminal or civil proceedings through false testimony or evidence.
With the expansion of this rule, should it be approved, parliament would be able to bring officials into a disciplinary process for an inquiry, which would have real consequences.
“They should be informed before they actually speak to committees that the committee expects the truth and the truth only,” Mashile said.
Mashile told the Independent that officials working in a department are supposed to know a department’s activities and cannot misrepresent them.
“That’s what we’re trying to stop,” he said.
The proposed rules are still up for discussion and have not yet been approved.
According to the DA, however, there are already measures in place for MPs speaking under oath, and the new rules would likely prove difficult to pass.
You can read the full story in the Sunday Independent for 26 April 2015.
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