Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 537 - 217: Zhang Wei: What Happened to My Client?_2

Chapter 537: Chapter 217: Zhang Wei: What Happened to My Client?_2

It had to be said. This was an irony.

Zhang Kuang swallowed hard, constantly scanning the public gallery. Finally, from beside an old man, he found that familiar face.

His body shuddered violently. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

It really... is him!

Seeing Qin Mu also looking at him, he quickly averted his gaze and lowered his head.

This face... He was all too familiar with it.

As a lawyer from Jin City, there were few who didn’t know Qin Mu. Those three thousand defendants had all been divided among the various lawyers of Jin City.

Zhang Wei was right after all. Behind these old men... who would have thought Qin Mu would be among them!

He took a sharp breath, growing more afraid as he thought about it. Zhang Wei’s words still echoed in his ears, clear and vivid. The fate of those seated opposite Qin Mu was always an increased sentence! Now, he was verifying this truth with his own actions!

Meanwhile, in the public gallery, Qin Mu didn’t know he had instilled such great fear in Zhang Kuang. He turned to the side and, looking at Zhang Qingyuan and the others, explained, "The lawyers for the two should be hired separately. Their interests in this case are opposed, so they cannot employ the same lawyer."

According to the Criminal Procedure Law, the defendant’s lawyer must defend the rights and interests of the defendant with a firm stance. Zhang Kuang and Liu Qiao had conflicts of interest. They were accusing and exposing each other, and passing the blame. Naturally, they could not have the same lawyer.

"Does Liu Qiao have the money to hire a lawyer?" Li Weiguo, having heard this, couldn’t help but ask. The precedent set by Meng Lei was one factor. Another was the inevitable freezing of all Liu Qiao’s accounts by the prosecution’s investigation. He even doubted Liu Qiao had the money to hire a lawyer.

"He probably does," Qin Mu mused, then explained, "The freeze is only on Liu Qiao’s accounts. His wife’s or friends’ accounts... likely aren’t frozen."

A unique case like Meng Lei... is, after all, a rarity. He managed to impoverish himself with his own "personal charm." No one was willing to pay for his lawyer. But that shouldn’t be the case for Liu Qiao.

Sure enough, no sooner had he finished speaking than two defense lawyers walked into the courtroom, one after the other. One of them was an old acquaintance of his, Zhang Wei.

"Qin Mu, long time no see." Upon seeing Qin Mu, Zhang Wei walked straight over and greeted him.

Qin Mu was also somewhat surprised and couldn’t help but ask, "You are... whose defense counsel?"

There were two defendants this time: Liu Qiao and Zhang Kuang. To be honest, Zhang Wei’s defense would be somewhat challenging, as both were heading toward the maximum sentence.

"I’m Zhang Kuang’s defense lawyer," Zhang Wei pointed to one side of the dock as he spoke. "He’s my classmate."

Qin Mu was taken aback. He couldn’t help but look at Zhang Kuang and noticed his body was trembling slightly. He seemed somewhat afraid.

At that moment, the Judgment Chief entered the courtroom with two judges and the jurors.

BANG—

With the gavel’s strike, a solemn voice echoed around.

"Today, Jincheng Intermediate Court’s First Criminal Trial Court will resume the trial of Liu Qiao for suspected money laundering and bribery. The court will continue the unfinished hearing from last time and proceed with the trial."

"Next, announce the court discipline."

「Five minutes later.」

The court discipline was announced.

The Judgment Chief surveyed the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Now, please let the public prosecutor re-read the indictment and state the prosecution’s request."

No sooner had he finished speaking than, from the prosecutor’s bench, a public prosecutor stood up and solemnly said, "The defendant Liu Qiao, over the past six years, has used the identities of relatives and friends to run pharmacies, colluding with doctors for illegal profits."

"Upon investigation, over these six years, the pharmacies operated by Liu Qiao have amassed illegal profits totaling over 160,000,000 yuan."

"Of which, over 70,000,000 yuan are suspected of money laundering..."

The public prosecutor forcefully stated each newly uncovered criminal fact. It took a full ten minutes to articulate all the crimes Liu Qiao had committed.

"Accordingly, our prosecution requests the court to sentence Liu Qiao to twenty years in prison and confiscate all his assets."

Lastly, the public prosecutor stated their suggested sentence. After continued discoveries and searches, they had finally revealed all of Liu Qiao’s criminal activities. The entire tip of the iceberg had surfaced. And such astonishing illegal gains were enough to keep adding to the sentence.

"Furthermore, the defendant Zhang Kuang, while defending Liu Qiao, attempted to help Liu Qiao evade guilt and engaged in acts of bribery, constituting incitement to crime."

"The court is requested to sentence him for the crime of bribery to six years in prison and impose a fine of 20,000 yuan."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire courtroom fell into a brief silence. Even Zhang Qingyuan and the others in the public gallery were momentarily taken aback. The facts alleged by the public prosecutor were truly shocking.

160,000,000 yuan!

It was an astronomical figure beyond their imagination! Something many of them would never earn in their entire lives. He was also, so far, the richest among the defendants they had seen!

"This Liu Qiao, who would have thought he was so deeply hidden, to be so wealthy?"

"If Meng Lei had met him, he definitely would have borrowed money from him."

"This is incredible. Can owning a few pharmacies be this profitable?"

"I’ve lived for decades, and yet my experience is still too limited."

"..."

The crowd murmured in amazement. They were astounded by the litany of criminal acts committed by Liu Qiao.