Amber Heard perjury investigation: Definition explained amid ongoing Johnny Depp trial
Amid her legal conflict with ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard is still reportedly under investigation for alleged perjury in Australia. As per Newsweek, Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) is still investigating the actress for illegally importing Depp's two dogs into the country in 2015.
Furthermore, the report claimed that Heard is alleged to have lied under oath at the time during the trial. In 2015, Heard pleaded guilty in the Australian court to making false statements regarding Depp's Yorkshire terriers at the time of immigration.
However, the charges were dropped against her after the judge gave Heard a "good behavior bond" for one month. This bond in Australia requires the offender to follow through with "good behavior," which includes abiding by the law, rehabilitation, counseling, and more.
What is the perjury that Amber Heard is accused of?
In most countries' legal definition, perjury means to lie in court while under oath. This could encapsulate the omission of facts or claiming something which is untrue. The violation of the oath, i.e. Perjury, could bring more charges against the individual in addition to the existing charges.
According to Merriam-Webster, perjury essentially means "false swearing."
Why is the investigation against Amber Heard still continuing in Australia?
Australia requires pets coming from foreign lands to be quarantined for ten days. However, in 2015, Amber Heard did not declare the dogs during her immigration to the country. At the time, Johnny Depp was reportedly shooting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Later in the court, Heard claimed that Depp's assistant at the time, Kate James, was supposed to obtain clearance for the legal passage of the actor's dogs into the country. However, James was fired later on and did not verify Heard's claims in court. However, another assistant at the time, Kevin Murphy, backed Heard's claims.
Considering these claims, the judge sentenced Heard to a reported fine of $1,000 and the good behavior bond. Furthermore, her conviction was not recorded following the trial.
As per Fox News, celebrity lawyer Chris Melcher told them that the second assistant James Murphy has admitted to lying in the Australian court in 2020 during another trial. It is possible that this caused the Australian authorities to reopen their investigation of Heard.
Amber Heard could face another perjury investigation regarding her divorce settlement
As part of her divorce settlement from Johnny Depp, Amber Heard pledged to donate the entirety of the amount to ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.
However, as per recent revelations in the trial, the actress is yet to pay either party the specified amount. According to the April 28 deposition of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ACLU, Terence Dougherty, the actress has not made any payments to the organization in three years. Furthermore, Dougherty has claimed that the ACLU has only received around $1.2 million on behalf of Heard, which included donations from Johnny Depp and Elon Musk as well.
This could result in another perjury investigation as the actress had claimed to have donated the entire amount. These claims were made in the UK High Court during Depp's libel trial against The Sun. The Aquaman star has made the same declaration multiple times and has only recently clarified that she used the terms' pledge' and 'donations' synonymously.
If the perjury charges against Heard are proven to be true in Australian and UK's High Court, then the 36-year-old actress could face up to seven to 14 years in prison in Australia. Meanwhile, in the UK, Heard could face up to seven years in prison. In Australia, however, she might face further penalties for smuggling the dogs, with a possible prison sentence of ten years.
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