If I accidentally find out that someone else committed a crime, and I don't sue him, will I be punished if it later turns out that I knew in some way? In the above example, what happens if it is not ‘me’ but a lawyer? And is it possible for a lawyer to sue him?
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5I don't follow your question. Unless you are the victim of the crime why would you need to sue? Or instead of sue, do you mean to say report the crime to the police?– user 55905Commented Apr 13 at 10:07
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This Q is related– user 55905Commented Apr 13 at 17:54
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1 Answer
This depends on where it happened, and also on what you knew when.
Usually, to "sue somebody" describes initiating a civil lawsuit, while "reporting someone to the police" or words like that describe making the authorities initiate a criminal investigation. There may be some cases where one is required to start a civil lawsuit, but they are not likely to matter here.
There may be requirements to report a crime, or at least some crimes, to the authorities, but the details differ from country to country. A witness under oath may be required to answer fully and truthfully, but that is different from volunteering information.
In germany, there is §138 StGB enumerating those crimes where it is a crime not to report them if one knew about them in advance.
