Statements of Truth - Rules have changed

Every litigator should know that there are new requirements which you need to include if you are preparing a witness statement or any other document needing a statement of truth. Specific wording is now needed at the end of all statements of truth:

"I understand that proceedings for contempt of Court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth."

This has to be dated with the same date as signed by the witness. The statement also has to contain information about the method it has been taken. The statement must be in the witness' own language and cannot be signed by someone else simply because of the language barrier. The date of translation also has to be included in the top right hand corner. If translated the translator has to sign and certify accuracy.

In my view, lawyers were invariably warning witnesses about the importance of the statement of truth and so the necessity of this rule change seems doubtful but it does increase transparency and spell out the issues to witnesses. If they give untrue evidence it may come back to bite them as they cannot say they have not been warned as it is in the statement of truth.