Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 531 - 215: Liu Qiao, this old sixth, has hidden too deeply_4

Speaking of Liu Qiao... He felt his chest tighten.

"What?"

But as Zhang Wei listened, his expression darkened. "You actually told the client to offer a bribe? Do you know that doing so will not only increase the client’s sentence, but you would also face criminal charges for instigating a crime?"

Zhang Kuang sighed again.

He said with a wry smile, "Of course I know, but the money he offered... was really too much."

Usually, when he took on a case, he’d work hard and earn less than 10,000.

But with Liu Qiao’s case... if it succeeded, he would receive 1,000,000 afterwards!

With such a large sum of money promised, he inevitably entertained some crooked thoughts.

"Now is not the time to talk about this. The prosecutorial authorities are currently investigating Liu Qiao’s other criminal activities. That scoundrel is definitely done for. The problem is... I’ll be done for too."

After a pause, Zhang Kuang stared at Zhang Wei again, his voice tinged with a plea as he said, "You always had the best grades in school. In this situation, do you think you could help me get an acquittal? At most, I was just carrying it out. If the instigation part can be successfully argued against, does that mean I won’t have to go to jail?"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "An acquittal? In college, you should recall reading that casebook on acquittals. Acquittal cases are exceedingly rare. For a clear-cut criminal act like yours... it’s almost impossible."

He looked at his former roommate and said seriously, "Regarding this behavior, whether you instigated it or not, you were involved in the planning, taking the money, the bribery, and other parts of the process. You are definitely a co-offender. All I can do is try my best to argue for you to be considered an accomplice. But in this matter, the crimes aren’t limited to bribery. There’s also obstruction of justice—attempting to help the client evade punishment—and the circumstances are considered very serious."

Obstruction of justice refers to a range of criminal acts. These include offenses like perjury, retaliation against witnesses, disrupting court order, harboring or shielding criminals, refusing to provide evidence in espionage cases, concealing or hiding criminal proceeds, refusing to comply with judgments or rulings, and unlawfully disposing of seized, confiscated, or frozen assets, among others. The sentencing for these crimes is determined by the severity of the circumstances.

Generally speaking, Zhang Kuang’s attempt to help Liu Qiao evade punishment directly constituted the most severe form of these offenses. Therefore, the prosecutor’s recommendation of a six-year fixed-term imprisonment was actually quite reasonable.

"Is there really no way out?" Zhang Kuang asked, looking at Zhang Wei, unwilling to accept it.

He had actually known this outcome for a while. As a lawyer, he understood these basics. Yet, he still clung to the hope that he could somehow be saved.

"There are no other options." Looking at his former roommate, now an inmate, Zhang Wei shook his head.

"Then what if... what if I grease some palms? Would that help?" Zhang Kuang fell silent for a long moment before suddenly saying this through clenched teeth.

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Wei instinctively took several steps back, maintaining a safe distance. He said sternly, "I’m telling you, that’s a criminal act, and I firmly oppose such behavior! Out of consideration for our past as classmates, I can defend you and see you off. But if you insist on doing this, I’ll have no choice but to keep my distance!"

For his own safety, he had decisively drawn a line between himself and Zhang Kuang. Zhang Kuang’s idea just now had been extremely dangerous. If he, Zhang Wei, had nodded or tacitly approved, he might have been implicated as an accomplice later on. That was exactly how Zhang Kuang had ended up in this mess. To attempt something like that again would be tantamount to asking for a longer sentence. Sometimes, money is a good thing. But at other times, it can also hasten one’s demise.

"Alright, alright, I was just talking. I naturally know the consequences of doing that." Seeing Zhang Wei’s serious expression, Zhang Kuang quickly said, "For old times’ sake, as classmates, you have to defend me this time. Do everything you can to get my sentence reduced."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei’s expression softened slightly.

As the two continued to talk, their conversation drifted to the scene in the courtroom. Zhang Kuang couldn’t help but complain, "This time, besides that scoundrel Liu Qiao, there was a group of old men in the gallery. They didn’t even seem to be Liu Qiao’s relatives. It was completely baffling."