Chapter 22: The Day of the First Instance Trial! |
"It''s nothing, I was just feeling a bit emotional."
Lin Guodong collected his thoughts, choosing not to elaborate.
"Emotional about what?" Su Xin asked.
"About the prosecutors in Greenwood City."
Lin Guodong raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with a sigh.
"The prosecutors and judges of Greenwood City... are probably in for a treat!"
A treat?
What kind of treat could prosecutors and judges possibly get?
Su Xin was a little confused, her face full of doubt, but she did not press the issue.
Immediately, his appetite surged. He dropped one last sentence before digging into his meal.
"Anyway..."
"Just wait for the trial to begin in two days!"
......
That day.
November 8th, eight o''clock in the evening.
The Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Procuratorate had long since closed for the day. The entire building was plunged into darkness and total silence.
But there was still one window glowing with light.
Inside the office.
"Phew..."
Prosecutor Hu Guang let out a breath of relief. He sat at his desk, reaching up to rub his aching brow.
The desk lamp cast a warm yellow light, clearly illuminating the exhaustion on his face.
A voice came from beside him.
"Let''s call it a day. Your health is more important, after all."
Hu Guang opened his eyes to see a cup of hot tea pushed in front of him.
Looking up, he saw his colleague Wang Wei and his apprentice Zhang Qing standing behind him. Both of their faces showed similar weariness, revealing a hint of fatigue.
Hu Guang did not reply. He grasped the teacup and took a small sip.
"Gulp..."
The hot tea rushed down his throat and into his chest, a warm current driving the chill from his body.
Hu Guang felt his entire body relax. He let out a long sigh and then looked up at the two men in front of him.
"Has the court said anything about the chain of evidence we submitted?"
Wang Wei pulled out a chair and sat heavily down.
Then he spoke mildly:
"No. The prosecution''s evidence and the police''s corroborate each other, and it was submitted during the evidence presentation period. Naturally, there won''t be any mistakes."
Hu Guang nodded.
He was the public prosecutor in charge of the Wang Qiang case. With the trial approaching, he naturally had to double-check everything.
Then.
Hu Guang looked up again at the silent Zhang Qing to the side and frowned as he asked:
"What about the victim''s family?"
"Make sure they don''t disappear when the trial starts."
Some people were very eccentric. They might skip a trial entirely just to sleep in a little longer, especially in remote areas where legal awareness was extremely weak.
Zhang Qing spoke up:
"I notified Chen Wei a few days ago."
Chen Wei was a shyster, but that term only represented his poor character and underhanded methods.
It did not negate his ability to get things done!
A small matter like ensuring Li Youcai and Liu Cui appeared in court on time was something Chen Wei could easily handle, it was just...
"Chen Wei has been gathering testimonies in Lijia Village."
Zhang Qing hesitated for a moment, unable to hold back any longer. He frowned and said:
"Those testimonies of his..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Hu Guang directly interrupted him.
"What? Are the testimonies illegal?"
Hu Guang pulled a cigarette from the pack on the desk, lit it, and took a drag.
Feeling the nicotine fill his chest, he let out another long breath. Looking at the young prosecutor in front of him, he asked indifferently:
"Or did Chen Wei fabricate evidence?"
Hearing this.
Zhang Qing felt a lump in his throat. After a long while, he shook his head and said quietly:
"No."
Chen Wei was taking statements in Lijia Village, near the scene of the crime. Was there a problem with that?
To be honest, from a judicial standpoint, there was no problem.
But one must not forget that a testimony is spoken by a person, and what a person chooses to say does not depend on reality, but only on what they want to say!
When faced with an outsider killing Li Erniu, what would the villagers of Lijia Village say?
Naturally, they would turn black into white, and white into black!
Especially since the statements were provided by the dozens of people who participated in the riot at the scene.
Judicially speaking, the testimonies of these people held immense weight!
But these people could hardly say that Li Erniu deserved to die and that they had also broken the law, could they? No. For the sake of their own survival, even their subconscious would lean toward Li Youcai.
Even if these testimonies deviated from reality.
It could still be presented in court and used as evidence!
"What about the defense lawyer?"
Hu Guang suddenly asked.
"I remember... the defendant seems to have a defense lawyer named ''Xu De''. Has he made any moves?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the two men in front of him were slightly stunned.
After recalling for a moment, they shook their heads.
"No."
"There is no news from the court at all. No evidence was submitted during the evidence presentation period," Wang Wei replied.
No evidence submitted.
That meant...
"He wants to fight the case entirely on his closing arguments."
Hu Guang was taken aback, his brow furrowing.
"What kind of track record does this lawyer have?"
To fight a case purely by improvising arguments on the spot... was simply too arrogant!
Even veteran lawyers would not dare do such a thing. Anyone who could win solely on this point was at least a golden lawyer.
No... even a golden lawyer would not dare pull such a stunt!
"No track record."
Zhang Qing shook his head. "He''s a young lawyer who just finished his internship a few months ago."
A young lawyer fresh out of his internship, with no evidence, wanting to rely on improvised arguments...
On the other side was a rigorous logical chain carefully put together by the police and the prosecution, and Chen Wei had even gone out of his way to arrange testimonies from Lijia Village!
This...
"Alright, we are the prosecution, not the defense."
Hu Guang stubbed out his cigarette and took a deep breath. The exhaustion in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a sharp, determined gaze.
"We have gone through all the procedures we needed to. Next is just... waiting for the trial the day after tomorrow!"
And he was not the only one worrying about the ''Lijia Village Case''...
......
November 9th.
Greenwood City Intermediate People''s Court.
"The defense still hasn''t presented any evidence... This is bad. The prosecution submitted a lot of evidence before the trial."
"This..."
"Old Zhang, the nature of this case is too vicious, and the public outcry is too great. The court has decided on a public trial. If the defense looks too bad during the hearing..."
In the office of the First Criminal Trial Court.
Judge Liu Jianguo held a newspaper in his hands. Looking at the overwhelming public opinion on its pages, his face was full of gravity.
After a long time, he turned to look beside him.
Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man in a judge''s robe. He had a square face, weathered skin, and although his features were ordinary, he exuded an aura of quiet authority.
Liu Jianguo said heavily:
"The trial starts tomorrow. Barring any accidents, there will be a lot of people paying attention to this case."
According to the law.
In public trials, citizens and journalists could go to the courtroom and watch from the public gallery.
And if they saw the defense falling into a severe disadvantage... it would probably incite public outrage!
A father who searched for his child for ten years, committing a serious crime because a buyer of trafficked women died while he was trying to save his daughter...
Just thinking about this scenario gave Liu Jianguo goosebumps.
But unfortunately...
"Just conduct a normal trial,"
Judge Zhang Bingxin said expressionlessly. He held the newspaper, his calm eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Hearing this.
Liu Jianguo hesitated to speak.
Zhang Bingxin was the presiding judge of the Wang Qiang case. The attitude of the presiding judge played a decisive role in the direction of the entire case!
Liu Jianguo knew what kind of personality the other party had.
Neutral, fair, and open!
Zhang Bingxin rarely exercised the so-called discretionary power; he only looked at evidence and facts.
Therefore, this also indirectly meant that it would come down to the personal abilities of the lawyers and agents on both sides. And in this case, Wang Qiang''s defense lawyer... had not even submitted a single piece of substantive evidence.
"Pack up."
After finishing the newspaper, Zhang Bingxin expressionlessly put down his hand and stood up.
"Prepare for tomorrow''s trial!"
Looking at his retreating back.
Liu Jianguo remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh.
"Alas."
He was just a judge of the court, not the police, not the prosecution, and not even the presiding judge. What he could do right now...
Was only to prepare for the trial!
Thinking of this, Liu Jianguo''s emotions cleared away. With a solemn expression, he threw himself back into his work.
On this day.
The speed of the entire afternoon seemed to slow down, making it feel incredibly long!
[Yangteng Law Firm.]
The victim''s legal agent, Chen Wei, looked at the series of information documents he had compiled, a sinister smile flashing in his eyes.
[Intermediate People''s Procuratorate.]
Prosecutors Hu Guang and Wang Wei checked the materials they were going to use several times for any omissions, their expressions unusually serious.
[Jinmao Law Firm.]
Xu De finished writing the last document, a smile appearing as he looked at the text on it.
Whether he lived or died depended on whether he could fight against a hundred and out-argue everyone in tomorrow''s trial!
Even...
Out in society...
Discussions regarding the Lijia Village case were becoming increasingly heated throughout Greenwood City!
The aunties in the vegetable markets, the workers in the construction site canteens, the white-collar office workers, and the factory hands—their spittle flew as they animatedly discussed the case, their excitement driving away some of the November chill.
Even the reporters were preparing their pens and paper.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for the first instance trial tomorrow!!!
And under this anxious situation with various parties maneuvering, time quietly passed, and in the blink of an eye...
......
......
November 10th.
The Lijia Village case, First Instance Trial!
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