Odpowiedzialność karna za podanie nieprawdy lub zatajenie prawdy w oświadczeniu o stanie majątkowym posła lub senatora – uwagi de lege lata i postulaty de lege ferenda

Abstract

The study presents the issue of criminal liability for a crime consisting in providing false information or concealing the truth in asset declaration of a deputy or senator. The author critically analyses categorisation of the crime, discusses the scope of criminalisation and the statutory limits of punishment. It is particularly controversial that a deputy or senator bears significantly more severe responsibility for providing false information or concealing the truth in the asset declaration than – for the same behaviour – other persons holding the highest state offices, e.g. the prime minister or ministers. The inconsistent regulations of the Polish legislator regarding the criminal liability of other public officials submitting asset declarations are also highly debatable. The author concludes that it is necessary to change the current regulations of criminal liability for providing false information or concealing the truth in the asset declaration of a deputy, senator and other public officials. The optimal solution would be to introduce to Chapter XXIX of the Penal Code a new type of crime – submitting a false asset declaration – with the possibility of classifying the perpetrator’s act as a minor offence.