Tokyo Barrister: Start the law firm bankruptcy

Chapter 943 Fight! ! !
Upon receiving instructions from the judge in the mountain city, the court clerk picked up the phone and notified the bailiffs in the waiting room.

The court hearing is about to begin!

The tension among everyone reached a new level.

Another ten minutes or so later, the side door of the courtroom was opened.

Then footsteps were heard.

Two bailiffs came out from the doorway first, then stood guard on either side of the entrance.

A short, middle-aged man in an orange prison uniform walked out. He wore shackles, which clanged with each step. A former financial genius who had dominated both the political and academic worlds was now a ruthless criminal who had defrauded hundreds of billions of yen.

Soichi Aso!

Many people in the audience were deeply moved by this scene.

Some of them were old friends of Aso from his time at Toyo Bank.

Seeing Aso become a prisoner, they couldn't help but feel that the world is truly unpredictable.

The once eloquent financial expert now awaits trial in court.

The bailiffs escorted Aso to the defendant's seat.

Shancheng said in a deep voice:
"In accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law, this court will verify the identity of the defendant before the trial begins."

"Defendant, your name."

"Sōichi Aso."

"Date of birth".

"May 23, 19th year of Taika".

"address?"

"Tokyo Minato Ward, Toranomon Love Tower".

"Your profession."

"Shanhu Capital will serve as its chairman."

"Have you had any history of illegal or criminal activity?"

"No."

"Have you received the indictment from the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office?"

"received."

With the defendant's identity verified, the judge from the mountain town prepared to announce the start of the trial.

All eyes were focused on this moment.

"In accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure, the defendant's identity has now been verified. The case of Aso Soichi's alleged fraud involving illegal fundraising is being heard in open court by a panel of judges from the Tokyo High Court. I now declare the trial open..."

The mountain judge raised his gavel, ready to strike.

These words will be spoken when the trial begins.

At the critical moment——

Suddenly, a male voice came from the courtroom, interrupting Shancheng's announcement of the start of the trial.

"Chief Referee!" the male voice said.

The sudden interruption caught everyone off guard.

No one expected that someone would interrupt the judge just before the trial began!
Who interrupted?!

Everyone in the courtroom was searching for the owner of the voice.

Finally, everyone's attention fell on a young man in Aso's legal team.

Nishio stared at the scene in disbelief, his heart pounding with tension. It was indeed the voice of that lawyer, Kitahara!
What...what is he trying to do?!

The prosecutors in the public prosecution seat were also taken aback by the interruption.

They clearly didn't know what had happened either.

Judge Yamashiro looked in the direction of the voice, then checked the information at hand and learned that the lawyer who had spoken up to stop the court session was Attorney Kitahara.

Everyone in the courtroom was curious—

What is this lawyer trying to do?!
The mountain city judge began by saying:

"Attorney Kitahara, what's the problem on your end?"

Kitahara stood up from the defense attorney's seat.

The next second—

Then his voice rang out:

"Chief Referee."

"According to Rule 27 of the Court Rules, defendants are generally not allowed to wear restraints during court proceedings."

"The defense attorney applied to the court—"

"Please remove the shackles from the defendant, Soichi Aso! The court will then proceed!!"

Kitahara's voice suddenly boomed like a thunderclap.

Remove...remove the restraints?!
Kitahara filed this application immediately before the trial began.

The entire courtroom erupted in uproar.

The defendant's lawyer actually demanded that Aso Soichi's shackles be removed before the trial could begin?!

When Prosecutor Takada heard Kitahara's request, he was momentarily stunned. It's rare for a defense attorney to request the removal of the defendant's restraints for the trial.

Whether or not restraints are worn has no real impact on the trial.

However, if you openly demand that the court remove the defendant's restraints, you are putting yourself in a position of confrontation with the prosecution and the court.

absurd!!
This is utterly absurd!!

Attorney Nishio, standing nearby, broke out in a cold sweat when Kitahara actually demanded that Aso's restraints be removed. Whether or not the restraints were removed wouldn't affect how many years Aso would be sentenced to. However, this request would enrage the prosecutor's office across the street. This was bad news! Bad news!!

Nishio never expected this—

The court hearing has not yet begun.

This young man actually started causing trouble!

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Akihisa immediately stood up. "Your Honor! The prosecutor objects! Court rules clearly stipulate that defendants who may be sentenced to life imprisonment may be restrained during the trial. In this case, the defendant Aso caused significant damage to national property and is a serious offender."

"The use of restraints on serious offenders is in accordance with court rules. The defense lawyer's request to remove the restraints has no legal basis whatsoever!!"

Kitahara quickly retorted, "Court rules permit the use of restraints only during the trial when the defendant poses a significant threat to personal safety, such as the possibility of escape, suicide, disrupting court order, or attacking court personnel! The use of restraints for defendants who may face life imprisonment generally refers to cases involving serious violent crimes that could result in a life sentence. The court only permits the use of restraints when the defendant poses a serious danger to personal safety!"

"Although the prosecutor's office recommended life imprisonment for the defendant Aso in this case, the crime Aso is accused of is fraud, an economic crime, which does not fall under the category of violent crimes that endanger personal safety. Therefore, the court has no legitimate reason to use restraints on Aso!"

"That's utter sophistry!" Qiu Hui's eyes widened in anger. "Whether or not to use restraints on the defendant is within the court's discretion. The defense lawyer has no right to object and must obey the court's instructions. Since the court did not instruct the bailiffs to remove the restraints before the trial, then the defendant should be restrained in accordance with the law!!"

"The Criminal Procedure Law operates on the principle of presumption of innocence!" Kitahara stated firmly. "No one can be determined guilty without a court judgment. Wearing restraints in court is essentially a degradation of the defendant's dignity and personality; it presumes that they are a criminal, thus necessitating a presumption of guilt based on restraints!"

"This case has national influence," Kitahara said loudly. "Under the lawful and open trial, the defendant should have the right to appear before the public in normal attire, without restraints."

"And so—"

"The defense attorney requests the court to sentence the defendant, Soichi Aso."

"Remove the restraints!!!"

(End of this chapter)