Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 463 - 198: Safety Net Charge: Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits_4

Additionally, if someone fails to repay a borrowed loan due to personal financial crises or similar situations, and genuinely cannot repay the debt, the circumstances of the fraud charge may appear relatively minor. According to the law, the punishment can then be reduced.

By the same logic, if the failure to repay borrowed money is due to intentional default, the circumstances of the fraud charge will be considered very serious. This is classified as malicious fraud, and the sentencing will be more severe.

...

In Jin City, at the nursing home, Zhang Qingyuan and others watched the live broadcast of the court session. They couldn’t help but make sarcastic comments, completely scoffing at Meng Lei’s responses. Meng Lei’s behavior was clearly a case of intentional default, yet he still had the audacity to argue in court that he faced difficulties. Such personal financial crises, in theory, could be easily verified by the court.

Among the crowd, Wan Zhongyuan couldn’t help but remark, "Xiao Qin, I have a feeling... their lawyer isn’t very competent."

Qin Mu glanced at the court session on the screen and nodded. "Indeed, not very. With that kind of defense, they’re bound to lose."

This lawyer... Qin Mu mused. His clothes clearly mark him as a legal aid lawyer, not one from a private law firm.

This statement phase is crucial to the entire court session. It determines the summary of the trial’s focal points and guides the subsequent cross-examination and debate. The entire case will revolve around these focal points.

But... the two points Meng Lei mentioned aren’t sufficient for his acquittal. If their defense attorney were Zhang Wei, he’d definitely argue that lending is a common form of economic transaction in daily life. Such transactions happen all the time. Using that as a defense point... could negate any claims of illegal possession and fraudulent activity.

"There’s still a chance for acquittal in this case?" After hearing Qin Mu’s analysis, Wan Zhongyuan couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. Just now, he had merely instinctively felt that the opposing lawyer wasn’t very capable. But after listening to Qin Mu, he realized there was more to it than met the eye.

"He won’t be acquitted. The defendant’s borrowing not only implicates him in fraud but is also suspected of the crime of illegally accepting public deposits," Qin Mu glanced at Wan Zhongyuan and shook his head, then explained the charge of illegally accepting public deposits.

This charge... can be used as a fallback. It’s to prevent the opposing lawyer from being too brilliant and getting the fraud charge dismissed entirely. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Wan Zhongyuan swallowed hard and couldn’t help but turn to look at Qin Mu. He shivered, then subtly shifted his stool a bit further away. He knew that people who studied law were formidable, but not to this extent.

Doesn’t that mean... that against Qin Mu, even the most brilliant lawyer couldn’t turn things around?

...

「Yangcheng Court.」

In the First Criminal Trial Court.

THUD—

The Judgment Chief struck the gavel and announced, "We will now proceed to the evidence presentation and cross-examination phase."

As soon as his words fell, Shi Liangping, who had been preparing for a long time at the lawyer’s bench, stood up. Fired up, he slammed down stack after stack of thick evidence, declaring, "These are the chat records between our thirty-four clients and the defendant, documenting our clients’ repeated, unsuccessful attempts to get their money back."

"These are some of our transfer and advance payment receipts, all benefiting the defendant."

"This is what we’ve found regarding the defendant’s financial status in recent years, including his property and vehicle ownership."

"This is the judgment from the previous civil lawsuit, which has been decided, yet the defendant has still not repaid the money..."

He spoke passionately, finally releasing all his pent-up frustration. In all his years as a lawyer, he had never encountered a defendant as arrogant as Meng Lei, who had time and again disregarded him!

Ma Ming’s lip twitched. He decided against offering any further defense, planning instead to give Shi Liangping Qin Mu’s contact information after the trial. These days...