Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 584 - 577: Review Passed, Prevention Before It Happens?

Chapter 584: Chapter 577: Review Passed, Prevention Before It Happens?

Retrial!

It was actually quite difficult.

In Dragon Country, the Supreme Court might need to handle tens of thousands of cases involving appeals, reviews, and retrials every year, but the pass rate was minimal.

The number might be a few dozen or possibly a hundred, but it definitely did not exceed three digits.

A percentage less than a single digit was enough to illustrate the point.

Although the presiding judge saw the photos of Chen Xiao and You Dalei, skepticism flickered in his eyes, but that obviously wasn’t enough to secure this retrial.

"Your Honor, my acquaintance with President You was merely a coincidence, I had no idea at that time that President You was the boss of Longxiang Construction!"

Chen Xiao naturally stood out and quickly denied it.

After all, this was a matter from 12 years ago, and back then Tie Ruyun only took photos, with no other evidence.

There was neither video nor audio recording, so how could you prove it if I denied it?

"What a great excuse, trying to wash your hands of it with a single ’I didn’t know,’ Lawyer Chen, you really have some nerve!"

"Lawyer Zhang, what did you just say about me?"

"Nothing much, just that the excuses you’re finding are too pathetic."

Zhang Wei chuckled, then proceeded to submit new evidence.

"Your Honor, Prosecutor Zhu, I have here a document record that can prove Lawyer Chen had multiple contacts with President You during the trial period."

"As for her so-called ’incidental meeting,’ it’s completely fabricated. Lawyer Chen met with President You multiple times, how could she possibly not know President You’s identity!"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei submitted the second piece of evidence.

This time, the evidence was a thick stack of documents.

"What are these documents?"

"These are the materials that Lawyer Huang Yunhe gave to me before his death!"

In fact, these materials were found by Zhao Xiaoxiao in Huang Yunhe’s cloud storage.

But Huang Yunhe was already dead, and no one knew what he had done in his lifetime.

Zhang Wei said these were given by Huang Yunhe, and there was no way Chen Xiao could refute it because if you wanted to find the truth, you had to ask Huang Yunhe directly in the underworld.

"Your Honor and Prosecutor Zhu might not be aware, but the last person Lawyer Huang Yunhe saw before he died was me. He was dealing with a divorce lawsuit at that time, and I was the attorney representing his wife."

"These documents were obtained from Lawyer Huang Yunhe during the divorce proceedings, to facilitate the calculation of the division of marital property."

Having said this, Zhang Wei paused slightly, then sighed, "Of course, as everyone knows, Lawyer Huang was murdered in the end, and there was no need to continue with the divorce proceedings."

"However, since I got some of the documents from Lawyer Huang, I naturally have to reveal the truth of the matter!"

Zhang Wei pointed to the documents in Zhu Yuansi’s hands and suggested, "Prosecutor Zhu, Your Honor, please look here."

"President You of Longxiang Construction and Lawyer Huang had actually known each other for a long time, and they had several business meetings. Lawyer Huang had saved backup recordings of all his meetings with clients and had uploaded them to the cloud."

Both Zhu Yuansi and the judge couldn’t help but flip through the documents, and sure enough, they found a dense set of meeting records.

Zhang Wei had specifically highlighted several rows of meeting records in red—these were the meetings between Huang Yunhe and You Dalei.

"As you can see, the meetings between Lawyer Huang and President You actually began 13 years ago, when President You had just ventured into the real estate development business. Upon establishing Longxiang Construction, he hired Lawyer Huang himself as a consultant attorney."

"Please look at the records from 12 years ago. Lawyer Huang had a total of 15 meetings with President You that year, and in four cases, he was accompanied by someone. As for who he brought along, there are notes written afterwards in the records!"

Zhu Yuansi and the judge began to review the records from 12 years before and found those prominently marked in red.

Chen Xiao!

In those four meetings between Huang Yunhe and You Dalei, the person taken along was Chen Xiao.

"These four meetings, the first two occurred before the trial of my client, the third during the trial, and the fourth after the judgment had been passed!"

"The timing of these meetings is quite peculiar, making me wonder if President You called Lawyer Chen to the third meeting and signaled to her that my client must be sent to prison."

"And as for the fourth meeting, was it because Lawyer Chen had completed the task very well, so President You met with Lawyer Chen again to express his gratitude?"

"Objection!"

Zhang Wei’s speculation finally made Chen Xiao unable to restrain herself, immediately interrupting.

"Lawyer Chen, are you getting anxious?"

"Objection, Your Honor!"

Chen Xiao, pointing at Zhang Wei with a serious tone, said, "Lawyer Zhang’s accusation just now was nothing more than speculation!"

"In fact, as I mentioned earlier, my meeting with President You was simply coincidental..."

"Is that so? Four coincidences and you didn’t inform me, the client, that there was a conflict of interest between you?"

Zhang Wei narrowed his eyes, his tone somewhat surprised.

"Lawyer Chen, don’t try to excuse yourself with the tricks of a rookie lawyer. Even if you knew nothing at that time, aren’t the investigators at Longteng Law Firm supposed to do their job? Wouldn’t they have informed you that Mr. Guan’s workplace had a conflict of interest with Longxiang Construction’s acquisition plan?"

Seeing Chen Xiao trying to find an excuse, Zhang Wei hit back directly.

Investigators at large law firms usually conduct certain background checks on the clients or parties involved at the indication of a lawyer.

Especially in criminal defense cases, investigations into the involved parties or suspects are very thorough.

Not to mention the workplace; they could even pinpoint how many times you solicited prostitutes on a business trip out of town, and they might even be able to find the service from that nice girl you met.

So, if Chen Xiao were to claim she was genuinely unaware of the conflict of interest between Guan Yuhong and You Dalei, that would be the biggest joke.

Are Longteng International’s investigators just slacking off?

Therefore, Chen Xiao stopped talking.

Because she temporarily could not find a counterargument, and there was no way to refute Huang Yunhe’s meeting records.

As long as Zhang Wei produced any other meeting records, he could prove the authenticity of this document, and she would have no way to deny it.

"Thus, Your Honor, Prosecutor Zhu, you can see that 12 years ago, my client was under the representation of Ms. Chen Xiao, a defense lawyer in a conflict of interest who also concealed this fact, and was convicted without adequate protection of his legal rights. This is not only a challenge to him but also a serious desecration of fairness and justice!"

Seeing Zhang Wei articulate the severity, the presiding judge subconsciously nodded.

"Yes, this court also believes that, had the defense attorney at the time had a significant conflict of interest with the client and failed to disclose it, such an act would constitute severe misconduct," said the judge, glancing at Chen Xiao. "Lawyer Chen, do you have any objections to this accusation?"

"Your Honor, I categorically deny it!"

"Lawyer Chen, you can only verbally deny it, right? Because you know this is the truth, and you won’t find any evidence to refute it!"

Zhang Wei scoffed, as if he could see that Chen Xiao could only talk big at this moment.

"Then, Lawyer Chen, this court will take it that you claim to deny but have no evidence to refute this accusation," the judge continued.

Chen Xiao’s expression darkened, but she had no way to contradict this point.

"Alright, this court understands. Regarding Lawyer Chen’s malpractice, I will explain the matter to the Lawyer’s Association later. As for whether Lawyer Chen wants to contest this accusation, she can explain it slowly during the internal hearing at the Association!"

The presiding judge spoke and then turned his gaze towards Guan Yuhong. He was about to announce the result.

"Your Honor, please allow me to interrupt!"

But just then, Zhu Yuansi, who had previously remained silent, couldn’t help but interject.

"Prosecutor Zhu, is there something you wish to say?"

"Your Honor, if the case from 12 years ago is sent back for a retrial, much of the eyewitness and physical evidence, as well as participants in the original case, even the case itself..."

"Prosecutor Zhu, I know what you want to say, but I care more about the rights of the concerned party!"

Seeing Zhu Yuansi trying to struggle, the presiding judge couldn’t help but interrupt.

"I believe we both understand that, in any case, the most important thing is fairness and justice. The law stands for fairness and justice. If we can’t even ensure this, then what’s the point of the law?"

"Mr. Guan, the concerned party, was treated unjustly 12 years ago, losing 12 years of his freedom. If we can’t give him true fairness and justice, then that would be the greatest desecration of the law!"

"I believe that if Mr. Guan is indeed guilty, justice will render a fair verdict even after 12 years, but if Mr. Guan is innocent, I hope the Longdu District Procuratorate Office reflects on this!"

As the presiding judge said this, his gaze once again fell on Guan Yuhong.

"Guan Yuhong, this court now informs you that you did not receive a fair and just trial 12 years ago. The upcoming retrial will not repeat that mistake!"

Thump!

The gavel fell, signaling that the request for a retrial had finally been granted.

"Yes!"

In the hearing seats at the back, Tie Ruyun was the first to leap up in a shout, embracing Guan Ping beside him in an outburst of excitement.

They had been waiting for this moment for a full 12 years.

"Finally..."

Guan Yuhong was also visibly moved, tears welling up in his eyes.

He had been waiting too long for this moment, and at last, he could get the fair and just treatment he deserved.

"This is great, we can finally have a retrial!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others were also very excited because Zhang Wei had helped the client obtain the qualification for a retrial.

"Your Honor, my side has a small request!"

But at this moment, Zhang Wei was unexpectedly calm, showing no excitement from the success of the appeal.

"Oh, Lawyer Zhang, what other requirements do you have?"

"Your Honor, though we are thrilled to have the opportunity for a retrial, please consider the feelings of my client who has been waiting for 12 years. I hope the court can expedite this case, arranging for the preliminary hearing and the listening session for the retrial as soon as possible, to clear my client of this wrong as quickly as we can!"

Zhang Wei said, asking Guan Yuhong to come to his side.

"Your Honor, my client has been waiting for 12 years. Each day in prison has been torture for him, and I request that the court grant him this small indulgence!"

The presiding judge thought it over and deemed it reasonable.

Although they had waited for 12 years already, he guessed that his client wouldn’t mind a few more days.

But he still announced, "Alright, this court approves. We’ll arrange for your preliminary hearing tomorrow, and as for the date of the retrial hearing, it will depend on the availability of the responsible judge!"

Bang!

The gavel came down, and Zhang Wei finally smiled in satisfaction.

They had succeeded in the appeal and would have a preliminary hearing the next day!

"Prosecutor Zhu, in this retrial, will you still be in charge on behalf of the prosecution?"

"Of course, I wasn’t involved in the case back then; in fact, I wasn’t even a prosecutor at the Longdu District Procuratorate Office 12 years ago. There’s no conflict of interest with the case, and they will definitely arrange for me to confront you!"

"Then, I’ll see you tomorrow!"

Saying that, Zhang Wei, accompanied by Guan Yuhong and the others, left the courtroom directly.

What they faced next would be the real legal battle in court.

"Zhang Wei is indeed formidable!"

Zhu Yuansi thought of what Qin Yang had reminded her, not to underestimate Zhang Wei, this young man was a strong opponent.

Now, she finally understood why he could defeat Senior Procuratorate Qin.

She too began to pack her things, preparing for tomorrow’s preliminary hearing.

However, before leaving, she cast a glance at Chen Xiao.

This case could be retried, and it was really "thanks" to this person’s help.

Zhu Yuansi left too, leaving Chen Xiao alone in the appellate court, but she also quickly exited the Supreme Court.

Her mood at the moment was naturally very poor.

She had thought that with her involvement, and with Zhu Yuansi’s help, there was absolutely no way that Zhang Wei could obtain the opportunity for a retrial.

But in reality, from beginning to end, she had become the target of Zhang Wei’s attacks, and by using her as the breakthrough point, the suspicion of the presiding judge towards her arose. Eventually, due to the provocation of fairness and justice, he had no choice but to agree to the retrial of the case.

Moreover, the judge also planned to report her behavior to the Lawyer’s Association.

Yet, regarding this matter, Chen Xiao was not worried at all.

After all, she still had connections inside the Lawyer’s Association, and she was a person of Dragon Lord; she was sure that the Lawyer’s Association wouldn’t dare to treat her harshly.

Even if it were a so-called internal hearing, she expected it to be just a formality, a mere process, with the final result invariably being a unanimous vote of not guilty.

"So now, the most troublesome issue is the murder trial of Guan Yuhong?"

Having sorted out the current situation, Chen Xiao felt that she still needed to make an effort in Guan Yuhong’s case.

She wouldn’t pin her hopes on the Procuratorate Headquarters being able to put Guan Yuhong away again.

Because this case involved so many elements, she had to be thoroughly prepared, there could be absolutely no mistakes!

...

That afternoon.

At the Longdu District Procuratorate Office, in the office of Zhu Yuansi.

Zhu Yuansi could never have imagined that after leaving the Supreme Court, Zhang Wei would come to visit him directly.

"What, you want the Procuratorate to arrange a safe house for the protection of your client!"

Although Zhu knew that Zhang Wei was quite good at stirring things up, he never expected that Zhang Wei would make such an "excessive" request right after winning the opportunity for a retrial.

"Yes!"

Zhang Wei came with Guan Yuhong and directly made a request for protection.

He took out a stack of photos from his briefcase and placed them in front of Zhu Yuansi.

"Members of the Qing Jiao Gang, the hired assassin Lin Berte, and even Lawyer Huang Yunhe, I believe their deaths are all related to this case!"

"Therefore, as the most direct party with conflicted interests, my client Guan Yuhong is certainly a target of the enemy, hence I request that Prosecutor Zhu can agree to our request to provide the necessary preservation measures for my client!"

Looking at the photos laid out before him, Zhu Yuansi was bewildered, "Aren’t all these cases related to you?"

"Yes, they all relate to me, but as you know, Prosecutor Zhu, I have only been in Longdu for a week, how could I possibly be involved in murder? These cases are obviously connected to the case I am currently dealing with."

Zhang Wei said, pointing at Guan Yuhong and Guan Ping.

"When I took on Guan Ping’s case earlier, Green Snake came to provoke me, but after being dealt with by my girlfriend, the person behind the scenes, to prevent the truth from coming out, sent Green Snake to his death."

"Similarly, with the gang’s hired assassin Lin Berte, we have evidence that he was deeply involved with the murder of Sun Mou 12 years ago, so the person behind the scenes killed him to keep the information sealed."

"As for Lawyer Huang, he was also a participant in the case from that year, and we have reason to believe he knew the inside story. Once the person behind the scenes realized he had lost his utility, they silenced him."

"So we infer that if this case reaches an irreversible point, it can’t be ruled out that the person behind the scenes will target my client with lethal intent, for a permanent solution to eliminate future trouble!"

Hearing what Zhang Wei said, Zhu Yuansi’s gaze narrowed.

In reality, the Procuratorate’s investigative division had yet to obtain enough evidence to link these individuals’ deaths together.

However, the fact that the same caliber sniper rifle was used in all cases was already sufficient to raise questions.

The information Zhang Wei presented today served to resolve Zhu Yuansi’s internal doubts.

All these deaths were actually related to Guan Yuhong’s case?

"Lawyer Zhang, as for your request..."

"Prosecutor Zhu, I’m sure you also don’t want my client to encounter any mishaps while awaiting trial, right?"

Seeing Zhu Yuansi still hesitant, Zhang Wei sneered with a provocative tone.

"What if, and I mean just what if, the case from 12 years ago gets sent back for a retrial and the suspect dies the next day, wouldn’t the public think the investigative division is covering up potential past mistakes with some kind of improper action?"

"This... this is impossible!"

Zhu Yuansi could never have imagined that Zhang Wei would directly threaten him using such a rationale, and threaten the investigative division at the same time.

"Prosecutor Zhu, you should understand, public opinion doesn’t care about facts, they just need to find an explanation that seems most reasonable to the people and then they can concoct any story they like."

"Public opinion always tends to develop in ways that surprise everyone, and if someone intentionally stirs the pot, it’s going to be a major challenge to the credibility of the District Procuratorate and the investigative division, right?"

"My personal advice would be that instead of waiting for the worst-case scenario to happen, Prosecutor Zhu might as well ask your colleagues in the investigative division to work a bit harder during this time."

"There’s a saying that goes, ’Prevention is better than cure,’ and it’s certainly better than having to write a self-criticism or even apologize afterward, right?"

Threat, Zhu Yuansi felt a blatant threat.

He could never have imagined that a criminal defense lawyer from Dongfang Capital would dare to directly threaten him.

"Okay, Lawyer Zhang, I will apply to the investigative division for the necessary protection for your client. Are you satisfied now?"

"Thank you, Prosecutor Zhu, that does put my mind at ease."

Seeing Zhu Yuansi give in, a smile finally formed on the corners of Zhang Wei’s mouth.

However, he didn’t feel the slightest bit reassured by the so-called "safe house" offered by the investigative division.

After all, in many movies, safe houses tend to be anything but safe.