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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §48.16.3.pr

Extraordinary Punishment for Malicious Accusers

Passage 8338 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus states that in both private and extraordinary crimes, all malicious prosecutors (calumniators) are to be punished extraordinarily according to the gravity of their offense.

[Idem libro primo sententiarum. ] §48.16.3.prEt in priuatis et in extraordinariis criminibus omnes calumniosi extra ordinem pro qualitate admissi plectuntur.
[The same, Opinions, Book I.] Both in private and in extraordinary crimes, all false accusers are punished extraordinarily according to the nature of the offense committed.

Notes

  1. §48.16.3.pradmissi — The genitive singular of the substantivized neuter perfect passive participle 'admissum' (offense, crime) from 'admittere' (to commit), modifying 'pro qualitate' (according to the quality). An alternative interpretation taking it as an adjective agreeing with 'calumniosi' (nominative plural) is syntactically and semantically unnatural.
  2. §48.16.3.prextra ordinem — An adverbial expression referring to the extraordinary procedure (cognitio extra ordinem) conducted outside the regular system of public jury courts (ordo iudiciorum publicorum). Here it indicates that the punishment for false accusation is imposed extraordinarily by judicial discretion rather than through ordinary statutory actions.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §48.16.3.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:48.16.3.pr

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