Chapter 604: Chapter 604 – I Don’t Dare
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“After the police filed the case, the officer who performed the DNA test announced to the media that the defendant’s DNA was found on the victim’s clothing and body. But he was charged by the local prosecutor as a result of this and was said to have violated procedural justice by publishing the DNA test results prematurely!
“Everyone should remember that when the case was newly filed and the defendant turned himself in, there was a prosecutor who took the defendant’s testimony at face value and violated the principles of professional conduct—as well as justice by immediately holding a press conference. He claimed that the victim actively engaged in a threesome with the defendants and had died of suffocation in the process. I also can let everyone know that the prosecutor who had prematurely held a press conference announcing that the victim had willingly engaged in the threesome not only was not charged by the procuratorate for violation of procedural justice but was actually promoted. One person was charged for revealing the truth, while the other person muddying the truth ended up promoted. How convenient! Of these two men, one announced correct information to the public but was charged for violating procedural justice. The other one, who announced false information with the intention to mislead the public, ended up being promoted. What does this mean?”
Gu Nianzhi’s gaze fell on Seth’s parents sitting in the audience. “This means that this originally simple case saw internal police obstruction, then devolved into what we see today!”
“Objection!” The defendant’s lawyer was furious and desperate, waving his fists at Gu Nianzhi. “You don’t have evidence to prove there was internal obstruction by the police. I’m telling you, this is a very serious accusation!”
“I don’t need your reminder.” Gu Nianzhi cooly took out the information the prosecutor had given her earlier. “According to the police station’s records, Seth’s parents drove to his residence to ‘clean up’ a day prior to him turning himself in. They took away a dozen garbage bags. At the time, the police had already cordoned Seth’s apartment as a ‘key inspection area,’ so nothing was to be touched inside. However, Seth’s parents waltzed in because of their power and interfered with processing the evidence. Can’t I make a reasonable inference that the defendant’s parents had removed and destroyed all direct evidence?”
All this was on the flash drive the prosecutor had given Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi threw all caution to the wind and even revealed this part of the story.
He Zhichu was completely impartial as he translated all she said into German. The Germans watching the courtroom live stream were completely aghast.
“What?!”
“This actually happened?!”
“How corrupt!”
Not only were the people in the courtroom stunned, but the Germans watching the live stream were shocked as well. Many of them were locals from Roslau, and although they already knew the local officials were very corrupt, never would they have imagined corruption to this extent. It was beyond what most people could accept. They all knew there were issues with this judicial system, but they hadn’t thought it was so serious! Such unscrupulous trampling of justice was actually occurring in their internal judicial courts and police department! What justice was left?!
The defendant’s lawyer didn’t expect Gu Nianzhi to dare to say all that, so he maintained a dark expression and continued to express his “objection.” He repeatedly said Gu Nianzhi’s words were unrelated to the case, and even the judge was getting flustered.
“The plaintiff’s lawyer should not be saying anything unrelated to the case. If you continue this, I will revoke your qualifications as a lawyer.”
Gu Nianzhi sneered. “Your Honor, I originally sensed that you were malicious toward us, but thought it was just my own delusion. Now, I’ve discovered that it wasn’t a delusion. It is true that you are malicious toward us. May I ask how a fair trial can proceed with a malicious judge? Also, I received my practicing qualifications from America and the Huaxia Empire, not Germany. Therefore, you have no right to revoke my qualifications.”
The judge stiffened, then resumed his grim expression when he realized that Gu Nianzhi wasn’t a local lawyer but someone who came from a major American law firm. His heart hammered wildly because he’d never thought that the plaintiff’s lawyer would know all that. At this rate, it would be even more difficult for him to insist on pronouncing that the defendant was not guilty…
Seth’s stepfather, York, was not only the chief of the local police but also a congressman of Roslau and leader of the local Democratic Party. With such power, this was not someone easily incited by one local judge. Plus, they had already promised that York would leverage his party’s power to support the judge in running for public office once the trials concluded… On one side was a bright future, and on the other was justice for a minor case involving a dead foreign student. There was no question of which way the judge would side.
The judge pressed his lips together, staring at Gu Nianzhi with furrowed brows as he contemplated. There was no direct evidence anyway, so he didn’t care how glib her tongue was. He just had to insist, when the time came—he’d rather let a true criminal off than have to announce that he was guilty despite a lack of direct evidence.
Gu Nianzhi noticed the judge’s nonchalant look and knew that these people had already reached a private agreement. Today’s trial was merely a farce.
She snickered. So, they wanted to pull strings in the background? Dream on.
The judge sternly slammed the gavel as a warning to Gu Nianzhi. “The plaintiff’s lawyer shall not change the topic. May I ask if you have direct evidence? If not, I will be announcing the results of the trial.”
He stressed again that there was no need to make inferences because the court was evidence-based. Even the best reasoning would be useless without direct evidence—let alone a complete lack of evidence.
Gu Nianzhi was now fully convinced that the judge was in cahoots with the defendant’s parents. She finally understood the helplessness the retired prosecutor had felt. He truly didn’t dare to go against them and was too scared to take out the evidence even though he possessed direct evidence. In other words, he didn’t dare to take it out himself. At that moment, Gu Nianzhi decided to pretend that she had personally obtained the evidence to remove the kind-hearted prosecutor from the situation. She wasn’t a German anyway, so she wasn’t worried about a vile person like York sabotaging her or taking revenge on her. If they want to extend their claws to the Huaxia Empire or America to retaliate against her, Huo Shao and Professor He would teach them a lesson.
When Gu Nianzhi thought of this, her anxious heart finally felt fully at peace. She turned back to He Zhichu, and he understood her intention. He nodded at her so she could freely proceed. Gu Nianzhi shut her eyes and suddenly turned to the judge.
“Your Honor, I have direct evidence that proves that Seth’s parents obstructed justice, as well as direct evidence to prove that Seth and his girlfriend lied. They met with the victim, Li Haiqing, several hours before she died—not a day before, as they claimed.”
The judge’s jaw dropped. His eyes drifted uneasily to York, sitting behind the defendant’s dock. York was Seth’s stepfather and was also someone who had absolute power in Roslau. His heart throbbed as he secretly recalled that they should’ve cleaned up everything that was required. How could there still be direct evidence?