Lawyer: Start with legal retaliation against infidelity!

Chapter 324 Verdict! Final Ruling! [Two chapters combined, please vote!]

Few people are selfless; as long as one is human, one has feelings and desires.

Looking at the internet in later generations, many people can be lenient with themselves and strict with others.

For example, some people might hand over money found by a child to themselves as a security guard, then gloat over it and enjoy the process; but they cannot tolerate the minor faults of others.

It's complicated, but not illegal or against regulations. Zheng Tong is now facing a choice: whether to be complacent or to be swallowed up.

A life for a life, a debt for a debt; the defendant has already committed murder, and should, regardless of the circumstances, receive some form of punishment...

No, accidental homicide and intentional homicide should not be confused...

By the way, the initial cause of the case was also the defendant's greed; the bank promised high interest rates, who would think that there was no problem with that?

"But......

In the prosecutor's seat.

Zheng Tong sat in the chair, his eyes closed and brows furrowed. He pinched the sides of his nose with one hand and kept rubbing them in an attempt to relieve his mental fatigue.

Although everyone in the First Courtroom was now focused on him.

Even though he needs to speak up now!

However, Zheng Tong seemed to ignore it, and remained somewhat silent.

"Director Zheng..."

""

Beside him.

Prosecutor Liang Bingxin frowned. He wanted to say something, but couldn't open his mouth and could only sigh.

He felt somewhat helpless, as the current case was too unusual.

How special is it?

Let me put it this way.

Whether it's a remand to the first instance or a second instance ruling, it perfectly complies with procedures and laws!

If it complies, then the former was handled in an official capacity and there was no violation of regulations at all. Although it was said that Li Jie's personal interests were being shared equally, this was not caused by him personally, but rather by the procedure!

What about the latter? The latter also complies with procedures and is a normal part of the legal process.

The problem is that one side is in its own interest, while the other is in the defendant's interest.

This is like giving alms to a beggar on the street. You can give ten dollars... but would you be willing to sell your house to give alms?

Liang Bingxin fell silent.

On the judge's bench, a voice urging them on once again rang out.

"The prosecutor's bench? The prosecutor's bench!"

Judge Zhao Zhong rubbed his temples, his gaze falling on Zheng Tong, and urged him in a deep voice.

"Do you have any further objections regarding this case?"

As the sound rang out, everyone's tension increased.

Prosecutor Zheng Tong snapped out of his reverie, paused for a moment, and then said, "Your Honor, our side... has some minor details to discuss."

So...skipping it?

Zhao Zhong nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He knew what the other party meant; they simply couldn't express their opinion in the short term and hadn't yet determined their stance.

That's how it is.

"Plaintiff, do you have any further objections to this case?"

At the judge's bench, Judge Zhao Zhong glanced at the plaintiff's seat and began to ask questions.

Plaintiff Du Teng stood up and slowly said, "Your Honor, regarding the 'civil procedure' part of the case, we have not yet communicated with the defendant."

"certainly."

Du Teng paused slightly, then said, "We believe that the civil compensation is not urgent."

There's no need to rush.

Does this mean they're preparing for a protracted battle? The second trial clearly can't last too long.

That means they want a first trial. And, civil cases can be negotiated... does that mean the plaintiff might still be able to compensate the defendant?

I just don't know... whether the defendant is willing.

The judge withdrew his gaze from the bench.

Judge Zhao Zhong then looked at the sparsely populated defendants, his gaze sharpening as he picked up the gavel.

"Bang!"

"Defendant, do you have any further objections?"

The words were spoken.

At the defendant's dock, Xu De paused slightly, then frowned and glanced at Du Teng. It was this glance that stirred a sense of unease within him.

This Du Teng... even after the case has reached this point, he still wants to fight to the death.

It's truly as troublesome as a vengeful ghost!

Xu De composed himself, leaned his lips toward the microphone, and a moment later, a voice came from beside him. He slowly said, "Your Honor, the facts of this case are clear, the logic is sound, and the case is thoroughly investigated."

"We believe that further cross-examination is unnecessary."

talking.

Xu De stood up, glanced at the crowd below the stage, and said in a calm and unhurried voice, "Your Honor, we would like to make a violation of the rules. Please grant us your permission."

Violation?

What are they up to now?

Zhao Zhong paused slightly, frowned, and asked, "What violation?"

"Introducing the client should be done at the beginning of the trial, according to the procedure, but we omitted it at the beginning of the trial."

Xu De spoke without changing his expression.

Introduce the client?

There is indeed such a process, and to say that it's on the eve of the verdict... certainly qualifies as a violation.

However, it has little impact on the case.

"Yes, the judge's bench permits it," Zhao Zhong nodded and said.

Upon hearing this...

Xu De nodded, took a breath, and a series of information flashed through his mind. Finally, he slowly spoke: "Everyone here, before we reach a consensus, I would like to first talk about our victims."

"First, there's the defendant himself."

"Our defendant is named Li Jie, also known as Mu Zi Li or Mu Shui Jie."

"As you can see, he has a physical disability; from a societal perspective, he is a disabled person; from a family perspective, he is..."

'

As he spoke, Xu De paused slightly, then uttered two words.

"Disabled".

Disabled?

As soon as the two words were spoken, the crowd was slightly taken aback, and a slight commotion arose in the audience.

These two words are somewhat jarring. The more prestigious the place, the more proper and dignified one must be. The High Court of Second Instance is clearly the most prestigious place, and the word "disabled" probably hasn't been used publicly in recent decades.

"Our defendant, Li Jie, has been identified as having a level three disability."

"Yes, that happened in the 80s. I became a fitter to make a living, and around 95, I had an accident at work that resulted in the loss of my right leg. In the end, my boss just gave me a perfunctory compensation."

"In summary, this is the first half of our defendant's life."

Xu De spoke up and casually explained some information about the defendant, Li Jie.

Upon hearing this, the audience members nodded, some of them seemingly lost in thought.

They knew Li Jie was disabled, but this was the first time they had learned why he was disabled.

Caused by car repairs? Compensation... In 1995, the compensation amount shouldn't have been much.

Indeed, this is true. Although Li Jie's wife was divorced, she simply didn't want to be trapped for life. She wasn't a bad person at all. She didn't ask for a single penny during the divorce, and a considerable portion of the 26 yuan in savings was left by her.

so....

"Before the trial, I contacted the media and inquired about a lot of information about this case and related cases. To be honest, some of this information was quite jarring."

Xu De spoke again, still without much emotion, simply stating some facts.

"First, this case is related to another 'bank case'."

"Our client, Li Jie, is one of the victims in the 'Bank Case.'"

"Of course, although they are called victims, in reality... it seems that most people in the general public do not buy it."

"Most people are just denouncing why banks would cheat people and why insurance companies would provide guarantees, instead of how pitiful the defendants are or how outrageous it is to be cheated!"

Speaking of this...

These words seemed to have offended someone.

In the audience, Du Teng, the plaintiff who had been listening intently, suddenly changed his tone and instinctively said, "Defendant, please watch your words!"

The "bank case" is still under trial, and no specific results have been given yet. It is irresponsible of you to make conclusions in public without authorization!

Xu De, however, didn't seem to care at all, and just smiled slightly as if he hadn't heard the words.

He ignored Du Teng and continued, "As for the more vehement voices regarding our client, Li Jie..."

""

"They deserve to be laughed at."

Serves him right?

As soon as the two words were spoken, a hint of surprise flashed in everyone's eyes.

In this case... some people are even mocking the defendant for deserving it? Deserving what?

"Serves you right for being scammed."

Xu De gave the answer: he had indeed talked to many reporters and asked people to pay attention to public opinion, and what he said was indeed the answer.

"A considerable number of people say that the defendant, Li Jie, deserved it."

"The bank is offering such high interest rates, it's obviously suspicious. Those who get scammed are just greedy for high interest rates and don't have any sense of danger. He deserves to be scammed."

"That's too greedy! Such a greedy person deserves to be swindled out of every penny and falls to rock bottom!"

These words were spoken.

In the audience section, there were clearly one or two people whose eyes were darting away and whose faces showed a hint of embarrassment.

Yes, some people do think that way.

With banks offering such high interest rates, don't you have any doubts? Aren't you just blinded by profit? Isn't it just greed at play?

All they thought about was making money, so they deserved to be scammed in the end!

Thinking of this.

Everyone's gaze instinctively fell on the defendant's seat.

In the trial area, the defendant Li Jie sat in a chair, listening to the sounds around him. He felt as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into a vegetable market. He couldn't help but lower his head and curl up, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his rough face.

He was indeed... greedy.

To put it simply, he was after those few dollars in interest.

"But is this illegal?"

Suddenly, Xu De asked a question, and before everyone could process it, he launched into a series of remarks.

"Is it illegal to save money and earn interest?"

"But, please tell me, why is it said that he deserved it when he couldn't get his money back after depositing it in a bank with a high interest rate? Ladies and gentlemen, this is not illegal!"

"Is this something too embarrassing to talk about?"

Is it illegal for banks to raise interest rates to attract customers? No, it is not illegal.

Residents want to save money to earn interest, and when they see banks offering high interest rates, they deposit money. Is this against morality? No, it is not.

So.

Why is it that when Li Jie deposits money in the bank, he's told he deserves to die?

What?

Greed? It was Li Jie who was greedy. If he had just honestly accepted low-interest loans, he wouldn't have run into this mess.

Why should we accept low interest rates?

In a legal society that does not violate morality and conforms to public order and good customs, why should Li Jie accept low interest rates?

If this were an illegal organization offering you 50% return in a year and doubling it in two years, and Li Jie paid the money and got scammed, then he truly deserved it.

But the bank is offering 2.52%! After five years, it will offer 2.79%!

Is this considered greed?

"Even if he did embezzle, shouldn't Li Jie have been allowed to embezzle?"

"As I said before, my defendant Li Jie is disabled. He is not a normal person, but he still wants to live like a normal person."

"He still has children, he still has a mother, and he is only 36 years old, but he has already lost all his ability to work."

"My savings are only 26!"

"So, he shouldn't have been greedy?"

Xu De spoke slowly, his voice not filled with accusation, but rather as if he were answering a question.

Several people in the audience clearly showed some shame on their faces.

Should Li Jie have taken the bribe?

He should be greedy. He's a cripple, a cripple who can't generate income. If he's not greedy, he's just waiting to die!

What? The village committee won't take care of us? Won't provide any money?

At most, they can give a disability allowance, but there are children and elderly people in the family. What can one allowance do?

You're saying an elderly person could be classified as a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government-provided social welfare program)? And their child could be given an orphanage? How is that even possible?!

If an elderly person has a son and grandson, even if they are disabled or a toddler, they cannot be given the five guarantees; if a child has parents, they cannot be an orphan, and the village committee would have no grounds to provide assistance even if they wanted to!

Therefore, he can only survive on 26.

Will the elderly person need a funeral in the future? A normal funeral is very expensive; if we don't have a funeral? Outsiders will only see that you have 26 yuan in savings, and that you can't even hold a funeral for your mother who's died—you're unfilial!

Children need to go to school and eat, right? Won't you support them at all in the future?

And in the face of all this.

Li Jie figured that by earning some interest from the savings, he could allow Zheng Ji to fulfill more of his duties as a son and the role of a father...

Is this considered greed?

Calculate!

"But shouldn't he?"

Xu De asked again, as if he were speaking to the people in the audience, to Du Teng in the plaintiff's seat, and to Liang Bingxin, Zhao Zhong, and others.

Everyone assumed it was directed at Zheng Ji, and some lowered their heads in shame.

But Xu De was merely stating an objective fact.

until..

"Defendant, this is irrelevant to this case!"

The plaintiff is in the plaintiff's seat.

Suddenly feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, Lu Jiudu once again disregarded discipline and spoke out.

To be honest, he hadn't shown this attitude during the previous debate. His few words, which couldn't determine the direction of the case, now made him feel like he was being tossed around by a cat.

Xu De glanced at him and laughed, "How can this be irrelevant?"

"Plaintiff, everything we have said is meant to serve as the basis for analyzing the defendant's subsequent actions."

The words were spoken.

He suddenly changed the subject and looked towards the defendant's seat.

"Your Honor, we would like to ask the defendant a question on our behalf."

"That is, why did you go to see Wei Tian on the afternoon of May 1, 2003!"

These words were spoken.

At the Hai Judge's Platform, Judge Zhao Zhong paused slightly, his brows furrowing slightly.

This question... is quite crucial.

But the problem is, Tinghai has already reached a conclusion!

They were after Wei Tian, ​​who was clearly asking for money. Besides, how could Wei Tian's unexpected death have been foreseen?

However, that doesn't stop me from asking once.

Zhao Zhong paused slightly, looked at the defendant's seat, and said, "Defendant, the defendant is asking you a question. Do you wish to answer?"

Upon hearing this...

Li Jie, looking embarrassed, slightly raised his head. To be honest, he was somewhat afraid to look at Zhao Zhong.

This reminds me of a beggar on the street, with their head bowed as they beg for food. Why?

Because when you look up, all you see is pity and mockery, constantly reminding you that you are a flawed person. This disparity is like a slave owner looking at a slave.

Zhao Zhongdao: "Why did you go to see Wei Tian on the afternoon of May 1, 2003? Besides, did you foresee that Wei Tian would die?"

Li Jie was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Without money... my mother might die."

Will you die if you don't have money?

A few words were uttered.

Everyone paused slightly. Although they had expected it, and had even seen these words in the police files, but...

When I said it again, I felt very strange and awkward.

The crowd glanced at the first courtroom, then at Li Jie, who was handcuffed to the defendant's seat, and felt increasingly awkward as they recalled what had just been said.

Zhao Zhong also noticed this awkward feeling.

Xu De continued, "It's obvious that the defendant is overthinking things."

"7

talking.

Xu De looked down at some documents in his hand and said calmly, "Your mother is not dead. She has lost her ability to argue, speak, and think because she hasn't received the money."

"To become...demented?"

"Therefore, you shouldn't have asked for the money. It was your excessive worry that caused the accidental death of your mother, who is not dead. It was your fault."

He didn't die, he just became mentally impaired?

What does "just" mean?

What do you mean by Li Jie's fault?

Zhao Zhong felt that awkward feeling was getting worse; he even felt...

The defendant kept making sarcastic remarks about Hai Pantai, but he couldn't produce any evidence.

Zhao Zhong frowned and fell silent.

"In summary."

"Presiding Judge Hai, from the perspective of some extreme opinions..."

"There is no objection to this case, and the original verdict should be upheld."

Xu De spoke again, this time his words were radical.

Let alone the Hai Pantai.

Even the plaintiff, Du Teng, had a fierce look in his eyes and almost stood up.

Uphold the original ruling? Even if the judge dared to rule in that case, the plaintiff wouldn't dare to accept it!

Fortunately, he hadn't finished speaking.

"From the defendant's perspective, Judge Hai..."

""

"We believe the defendant is innocent."

"Regardless of the alleged corruption, or the circumstances of the incident," we believe that the defendant, Li Jie, is innocent!

""

Xu De took a deep breath, his face serious and his tone lowered.

"Of course, if the hospital is willing to send the case back to Chonghai, and some people want to taint the case with their own interests, then..."

""

"Our side is in the same position as the plaintiff."

"I'm prepared for a protracted legal battle!"

He paused slightly at this point.

"What goes around comes around."

"In any case, there will always be someone who knows the truth and is unwilling to be fooled."

"The defendant has finished speaking."

The words were spoken.

Xu Detan stopped speaking and sat back down in the defendant's seat, his brows furrowed and his gaze hardening.

As he said.

He has given up on fighting for the outcome of the second trial.

If the plaintiff insists on convicting Li Jie for personal gain, what will happen?

That doesn't matter.

Xu De is ready to fight again!

Even if the case is sent back to Yihai, he will still plead not guilty, and at worst, he can renege on the case again!

only..

After he finished speaking...

The entire First Courtroom fell silent, unusually quiet, as if there were no people in the empty seats.

a long time.

A voice came from the judge's platform.

"Plaintiff, do you... have any further objections to the facts of this case?"

Judge Zhao Zhong looked at the plaintiff's seat.

The plaintiff.

Prosecutor Zheng Tong remained silent for a moment, then sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Chief Judge Hai, our side..."

"There are no other objections regarding the facts and process of this case."

No objections.

Zhao Zhong wanted to ask something more, but then he saw that Zheng Tong, who was in the distance, had already sat down and was not saying a word.

See here.

Judge Zhao Zhong fell silent.

At this point, all three parties have expressed their views!

The three judges began to discuss in hushed tones, and the First Court remained quiet for several tens of minutes. During these minutes, even the audience did not stir.

until...

Suddenly.

"Bang!"

A very clear and crisp voice came from the judge's platform.

"The sentencing will now commence."

The verdict has been announced!?

Everyone's gaze sharpened, their hearts tightened, and they held their breath.

Judge Zhao Zhong stood up, his expression serious, looking down at the documents in his hands.

Followed by.

A majestic voice reached the ears of everyone present.

"After a lawful hearing, during which the prosecution and defense presented evidence, cross-examined witnesses, engaged in court debates, and made final statements, the hearing has now concluded."

"As confirmed by Hai Li."

"The defendant, Li Jie, committed the crime on May 1, 2003, at Jinlan Pedestrian Street in Haicheng..."

""

"The prosecution alleges that the defendant committed intentional homicide under Article 232 of the Criminal Law and illegal possession and concealment of firearms and ammunition under Article 128, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law."

""

"The original judgment's finding that the appellant was guilty of intentional homicide and illegal possession of firearms was based on unclear facts and insufficient evidence."

"The evidence on file does not form a complete chain of evidence."

"This court holds that conviction and sentencing in criminal cases must be based on clear facts and sufficient and conclusive evidence."

"The existing evidence in this case is insufficient to definitively prove that the appellant committed a crime, and the original judgment was erroneous. The grounds for appeal are valid and are adopted by this court."

The moment the words were spoken.

The plaintiff, Du Teng, looked slightly taken aback, and his face stiffened.

The two defendants in the dock were slightly taken aback, their eyes widening slightly.

Was the original judgment made incorrect?

The appeal is valid!

What does this mean?

What it means is not important.

Judge Zhao Zhong did not need to pronounce the verdict according to the opinions of the two men; he never needed to consider the opinions of others when making decisions!

All I saw was...

Zhao Zhong's expression was solemn, and his authoritative voice resonated throughout the surroundings. He continued, "In accordance with Article 180, Paragraph (2) and Article 162, Paragraph (3) of the Criminal Procedure Law, the judgment is as follows:"

"I. The criminal judgment No. 49 of 2005 (Hai 02 Criminal First Instance) is hereby revoked."

"Secondly, the appellant Li Jie is not guilty of a criminal offense, and the judgment is as follows..."

"6

"Innocent!"

Suddenly, everyone in the room widened their eyes and felt a jolt in their hearts.

Zhao Zhong paused for a moment, then suddenly added another sentence.

This ruling is for...

""

"Final ruling!!!"

P.S.: My neighbor ripped my internet cable while demolishing their house. I thought it was scheduled to post after I finished writing this, but I realized it hadn't been published when I saw the comments. It should be fixed tomorrow.