Amber Heard's Legal Trouble Isn't Over as Australia Investigates Her for Perjury After Johnny Depp Trial Loss
Amber Heard is reportedly being investigated in an ongoing perjury case in Australia just weeks after losing in a defamation trial against her former husband, Johnny Depp.
According to the Daily Mail, the actress' legal troubles are far from over as a court in Australia investigates the "Aquaman" star of perjury.
The perjury case involves Heard breaching Australia's quarantine and biosecurity laws by failing to declare her and Depp's two Yorkshire Terriers, Pistol and Boo, when she flew into the country in 2015.
The actress was charged with two counts of illegally importing the animals in July 2015. However, the case was closed in April 2016, when Heard pled guilty to falsifying immigration documents.
Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment recently confirmed to ET Canada that the case is still "ongoing."
The department told the outlet that it was investigating allegations of perjury by Heard during court proceedings for the 2015 illegal importation of her two dogs into Australia.
Perjury Case in Australia Likely to Haunt Amber Heard After Johnny Depp Defamation Trial
Amber Heard joined her ex-husband Johnny Depp in Australia while he was shooting the "Pirates of the Caribbean" 5 in 2015.
The actress brought their two Yorkshire terriers with her. However, she did not follow the proper procedures in Australia regarding the importation of animals, as the country is strict in protecting its wildlife from any diseases that foreign animals might bring.
Pistol and Boo were placed in 10-day quarantine, but their arrival was not known for several weeks until a grooming salon posted snaps of the cuddly pair on Facebook. Heard and Depp were then forced to send the dogs back home because they would be seized and euthanized if not.
Heard eventually pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of falsifying travel documents and accepted a fine of 10,000 Australian dollars in a Gold Coast court in Queensland after the government charged her with two counts of illegally importing animals.
The revival of the perjury investigation reportedly stemmed from the testimony of Depp's former estate manager Kevin Murphy during the actor's 2020 libel case against The Sun newspaper in the U.K.
Murphy told a London court that the actress had ordered him to lie on oath after she flew the pets in a private jet without declaring them.
Perjury, the crime of lying under oath, whether spoken or in writing, also carries a maximum jail time of 14 years in Australia. But Amber Heard may be facing a jail term of seven years under the penal code of Queensland.
While it is unlikely that Australia would try extraditing the actress, the actress could face arrest if she tried to enter the country again.
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Amber Heard to Appeal Johnny Depp's Defamation Case Ruling
Australia investigating Amber Heard for perjury because she might have lied to investigators is not the only legal woe she's currently worrying about.
The actress recently announced that she would appeal a Virginia court's decision where she must pay ex-husband Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.
However, that appeal might cause Heard even more money. Judge Penney Azcarate, who oversaw Depp's defamation case against Heard in Virginia, earlier said that the actress would have to put up an $8.35 million bond with six percent annual interest for any appeal to formally move forward.
Amber Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has admitted that the actress does not have the money to pay her ex-husband or meet the bond.
READ MORE: Amber Heard Unveils Years of "Therapist Notes" Detailing Alleged Abuse of Ex-husband Johnny Depp
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Why Amber Heard Is Still Being Investigated in Australia - From Entertainment Tonight
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