§ 53a-149 — Bribery of a witness: Class C felony.

(a) A person is guilty of bribery of a witness if he offers, confers or agrees to confer upon a witness any benefit to influence the testimony or conduct of such witness in, or in relation to, an official proceeding. (b) Bribery of a witness is a class C felony.

Legislative History

(1969, P.A. 828, S. 151; P.A. 03-259, S. 48.) History: P.A. 03-259 amended Subsec. (b) to change bribery of a witness from a class D felony to a class C felony. Cited. 192 C. 98. Cited. 12 CA 74. State not required to establish existence of official proceeding at time of defendant's offer because definitions in Sec. 53a-146 encompass future proceedings that may be held and witnesses who may be summoned, and because crime of bribery is committed as soon as offer is made and, thus, it is irrelevant whether offer was made before or after institution of official proceeding; section is specific intent crime, requiring that act be made with the intent of influencing testimony or conduct. 160 CA 251. Trial court's interpretation of the term “influence” as meaning to alter comports with the state Supreme Court's construction of the relevant statutory language. 164 CA 459.