Chapter 123 The Big Fool
Zhang Pengfei sighed, as if he really was Wang Hu's lawyer: "Defending an ordinary case is like an offensive and defensive battle. Lawyers can question the authenticity and relevance of evidence, and argue that the client is innocent. There is a lot of room for negotiation."
“But this…” Zhang Pengfei shook the materials in his hand: “The report is too solid and directly guides the judicial authorities to obtain original evidence through legal means. This means that the facts of the crime are already very difficult to completely deny.”
"Oh?" Chen Jingyang raised an eyebrow, showing great interest. "Is the report so perfect?"
Zhang Pengfei frowned and glanced at him: "You don't know?"
Chen Jingyang laughed shamelessly, "I don't know, tell me about it."
Zhang Pengfei smiled enigmatically and calmly said, "The whistleblower provided not just one piece of evidence, but an entire ecosystem of evidence, leaving the defense lawyer with nowhere to attack."
He opened the evidence page and pointed it out to Chen Jingyang: "A single piece of evidence can be challenged, but when all the evidence, such as bank statements, internal approval logs, and communication records, points to the same fact, the possibility of overturning them all is zero."
“Even if some of the initial evidence in the report is flawed, the judicial authorities can still obtain original, legal, and irrefutable evidence from Wang Hu’s computer, company server, and bank through legal means such as search warrants and notices of evidence collection.”
Zhang Pengfei looked up at Chen Jingyang, his eyes shining like obsidian: "In other words, although the whistleblower's materials are not perfect, they can still guide the judicial authorities to quickly obtain perfect 'ironclad evidence'."
Chen Jingyang flicked his nose and praised him, "That's really well said!"
Zhang Pengfei rubbed his nose and asked him curiously, "Who is this whistleblower? To obtain this evidence, he would need at least the help of a hacker, right?"
Why would I need hacker help? Chen Jingyang himself is the biggest hacker leader!
Not to mention Wang Hu's various accounts, even if he wanted to monitor Wang Hu's phone, he could do so without anyone noticing!
Looking at the materials, Zhang Pengfei muttered to himself, "This whistleblower letter must have been guided by an expert. I think even if Attorney Zhu personally defends him, the best outcome would only be a lighter or reduced punishment."
Chen Jingyang poured him a glass of water: "If it were you, how much do you think you could alleviate his burden?"
“It’s hard to say.” Zhang Pengfei frowned and said, “The law punishes soliciting bribes far more severely than accepting bribes because it is more subjectively malicious. Moreover, the evidence spans several years, which shows that Wang Hu committed the crime repeatedly over a long period of time, and it was not a momentary lapse of judgment. This is a legally stipulated circumstance for a heavier punishment.”
Zhang Pengfei pointed at the documents in his hand and said with certainty, "Bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, infringement of trade secrets... With so many crimes and multiple sentences combined, the prison term will be very long."
Chen Jingyang nodded smugly: "So, your client will definitely spend the rest of his life in jail, right?"
Zhang Pengfei suddenly felt like teasing him and laughed, "That's not necessarily true."
“For example…” He pointed to a page: “The originality of all electronic evidence can be questioned.”
"Hmm?" Chen Jingyang became interested: "How do you question it?"
“Emails and communication records, which are electronic data provided through illegal means, cannot be guaranteed to be authentic, complete, or original. They are easily tampered with and forged, and should not be used as the basis for a conviction.”
Zhang Pengfei flipped to the next page, pointing to one of them: "Wang Xiaojie, the holder of the Hong Kong account, is an independent adult. What evidence does the prosecution have to prove that Wang Hu has control over the account? What evidence does it have to prove that Wang Hu instructed these transfers? Blood relations alone cannot convict someone; this is a basic legal principle."
Chen Jingyang frowned: "Didn't you just say the evidence was irrefutable?"
Zhang Pengfei didn't answer and turned to the next page: "Does the fact that driver Cao Liqiang's account received money prove that it was Wang Hu who instructed him? That's pure speculation! It could be a private loan or other economic transaction between the driver and the supplier."
He scrolled down further: "This fee could very well be a legitimate 'consulting service fee' paid by Xincheng Construction to a third party! As a senior executive of the group, it is Wang Hu's duty to introduce a professional consulting firm to provide services for the project. As for how the consulting firm allocates the fees, what does that have to do with Wang Hu?"
He looked at Chen Jingyang with a mocking expression: "We demand that the prosecutor produce evidence to prove that no corresponding, genuine consulting services were provided for the payment. If this cannot be proven, then this is a legitimate business transaction."
Chen Jingyang's expression gradually changed, and he seemed a little less confident: "Really?"
Zhang Pengfei curled his lips into a smile and said calmly, "Emails and communications can be forged! Even if they are real, it doesn't prove that the sender is me!"
"Hacking techniques, account theft, or even someone else operating on his computer are all possibilities. The prosecution must eliminate all reasonable doubt and prove that it was Wang Hu himself sitting in front of the computer and typing those words on that day and at that moment."
Chen Jingyang couldn't sit still any longer: "This works?"
Zhang Pengfei continued, "The amount of 5 million is incorrect! It includes the project's reasonable profits and costs. The part that may actually involve 'kickbacks' needs to be re-audited and verified."
He pointed to another piece of evidence: "This 2 million yuan embezzlement charge mostly consists of hidden costs that are necessary for company operations but cannot be fully documented, such as public relations entertainment and special channel fees. It is extremely unreasonable to attribute all of these to Wang Hu's personal embezzlement!"
Chen Jingyang jumped to his feet, his face changing drastically: "What?! This, how can this be?! If that's what you're saying, then Wang Hu is actually alright?!"
Zhang Pengfei chuckled: "You big idiot!"
Chen Jingyang then realized he had been tricked and quickly picked up a glass of water to offer it to him: "Baby, don't scare me. What you just said, it won't work, will it?"
“Of course not.” Zhang Pengfei laughed. “Think about it, although Wang Xiaojie is an adult, he has no business dealings with that company. Why would that company give him 5 million for no reason? Such an obvious loophole. The prosecution isn’t going to take this lying down. It would be strange if they could explain it away!”
He put down his water glass and slowly began to speak: "The judicial authorities will definitely investigate the IP address that sent the email to prove that it originated from Wang Hu's office or home. Who could send emails on his behalf? Hacking and forgery are even more absurd. Evidence must be provided to prove that there was a hacking intrusion. Even you can't prove that, can you?"
Chen Jingyang thought about it and realized it wasn't impossible, but only if a hacker actually forged the evidence. However, he didn't forge anything; he just looked at it and kept it.
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