Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013
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Offences — Part 14. |
133.— (1) A person who threatens to inflict, or inflicts, injury, damage or loss on a witness, or who offers a reward, or rewards, a witness to a Part 2 inquiry or other committee business— | |
(a) with intent to influence, or in a manner calculated to influence, whether any such witness will give evidence or the nature, extent, duration or content of the evidence any such witness may give, or | ||
(b) without lawful excuse, in retaliation for, or in consequence of, the giving of evidence by any such witness, | ||
is guilty of an offence. | ||
(2) subsection (1) shall, with all necessary modification, apply to a member of a House or committee member or prospective committee member of a committee conducting or to conduct a Part 2 inquiry or other committee business as it applies to a witness to an inquiry or other committee business respectively. | ||
(3) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) is liable— | ||
(a) on summary conviction, to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or both, or | ||
(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both. |