Why Is An Affidavit Used And What Makes It Important?

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An Affidavit is the name given to a type of legal document which can be used in a tribunal or court as evidence. It has an actual signed and written statement, and is just like a witness statement or statutory declaration. It has legal importance and weight. There are various kinds of affidavits, and each of these has its own specific signing requirement, format and usage. It is possible for you to find an Affidavit form online. However, before you do that, you must know why an Affidavit is actually used, and what makes it important.

Purpose of an Affidavit

The purpose of an Affidavit is varied. Primarily, these are used during legal proceedings in Courts. These serve as a written alternative to someone who is supposed to serve as a witness and give oral evidence. In case the witness provides false evidence to the court in an Affidavit intentionally, and it is found out, he / she might be prosecuted on grounds on perjury. The creation of an Affidavit demands truth in the same way as providing the court with oral evidence. In case of the crime of perjury, there can be severe penalties. Unless there are some exceptional situations, the perjurer might be imprisoned by the Court for a specific period of time – such as for a few months.

Affidavits may be used to prove various things, and used like evidence. For instance, often these are used to tell a version of events to the Court of law. The person’s version can be specified in detail.

These are even used often for proving that other people have found legal documents of importance, referred to as ‘Affidavit of Service’.

Writing Own Affidavit

That is possible! If you want to make an affidavit of your own, you may do so. You can find free Affidavit in Alabama forms online, in quite a few websites that have legal forms and agreements on sale or for free. These can be downloaded, printed and customized for individual use.

The kind of Affidavit that is used will be based on the nature of the legal proceedings that it would be used for.