Will your witness statements be compliant by 6th April 2020?

The 113th update to Practice Direction Amendments comes into form on 6th April 2020 and introduces important changes to the wording of a Statement of Truth.

The statement of truth verifying a witness statement currently reads as follows:

"I believe the facts stated in this witness statement are true"

From 6th April 2020, all statements will need to read as follows

"I believe the facts stated in this witness statement are true. 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 without an honest belief in its truth"

The two other new requirements in relation to the statement of truth added to PD22.2 are that

2.4 The statement of truth must be in the witness's own language

2.5 A statement of truth must be dated with the date on which it was signed

ASH (UK) Process Servers Limited are undertaking an update of all witness statements this week to ensure we are fully compliant with the Amendment well before the date it comes into force.