Chapter 543: All-out moves
As for the witness you mentioned, we have reason to suspect that he has a vested interest in this case, and the credibility of his testimony is greatly reduced. "After that, Zhang San took out a thick document, claiming that it was the result of a background check on the witness. It listed some records of the witness's business contacts with Hou Liangping's department, trying to imply that the witness might have been instructed or influenced by Hou Liangping.
Hou Liangping took the information, quickly glanced through it, and said seriously: "Lawyer Zhang, these so-called contacts are just normal official exchanges and have nothing to do with this case. Your malicious speculation about the witness is a blasphemy against judicial justice."
At this point, Zhang San began to use his network of interests. He quietly signaled his assistant to contact some media friends outside the courtroom, asking them to create momentum in public opinion and put pressure on Hou Liangping. Some media began to report the so-called "Qi Tongwei case is unjust, and the prosecutor's evidence is full of doubts" in an attempt to influence the public's judgment and put external pressure on the court.
At the same time, Zhang San also secretly communicated with some old acquaintances in the judicial community. Although these people did not dare to openly violate the law, they spread remarks unfavorable to Hou Liangping in some legal research circles, questioning his overly radical handling methods and destroying the "harmony" of the judicial community.
In the courtroom, Zhang San continued his sophistry: "Prosecutor Hou, even if we put aside the issues of witnesses and evidence, Mr. Qi Tongwei has made indelible contributions to the security and stability of the Handong area during his career. He has personally directed the investigation of major cases many times. Can these achievements be completely denied because of some unconfirmed accusations?"
Hou Liangping replied righteously: "Mr. Zhang, your merits and demerits cannot be offset. No matter what merits he has made, they cannot protect him from committing crimes. Everyone is equal before the law, and any crime should be judged fairly."
The debate between Zhang San and Hou Liangping became increasingly intense, with both sides going back and forth and neither side giving in. Zhang San kept looking for loopholes in Hou Liangping's chain of evidence from various angles, while Hou Liangping firmly defended the legitimacy and authenticity of the evidence, and forcefully countered Zhang San's doubts time and time again.
As the trial progressed, Zhang San realized that it would be difficult to completely overturn Hou Liangping's accusation based solely on evidence and legal provisions, so he changed his strategy and tried to impress the judge from an emotional and social perspective.
"Your Honor, Mr. Qi Tongwei was born in a poor family and worked his way up in the officialdom through his own efforts. His family background determined that he had a stronger desire for success. In the process, he may have taken some detours, but this was also caused by the social environment and official pressure. If he is sentenced heavily, his family will be in dire straits, and his elderly parents will have no one to support them. Does this conform to the humane principle of the law?" Zhang San spoke with emotion, and even tears welled up in his eyes, as if he was appealing for a poor man who had been wronged.
Hou Liangping immediately retorted: "Lawyer Zhang, everyone must be responsible for their own actions. Qi Tongwei's family situation cannot be an excuse for him to evade legal sanctions. If the criminal is given a lighter sentence because of family factors, the fairness of the law will be lost, and how can the rights of the victims be protected?"
Although Zhang San's various methods have caused Hou Liangping a lot of trouble, Hou Liangping has always adhered to justice and has not wavered in the slightest. He knows that this lawsuit is not just a contest between him and Zhang San, but also a contest between justice and evil, and between the rule of law and corruption. Behind him are countless pairs of eyes looking forward to justice, and with the support of the law and the country, he firmly believes that the final victory must belong to justice.
After seeing that his emotional card did not work completely, Zhang San knew that he had to come up with more subversive evidence to turn the situation around. He and his team began a very secretive and complex evidence collection and construction operation.
They thoroughly investigated every detail of the case, leaving no corner that might be suspicious. In the process of collecting evidence, Zhang San's assistant discovered a key figure that had been overlooked in the previous investigation - Xiao Li, a grassroots police officer who had worked under Qi Tongwei. Xiao Li was dissatisfied with Qi Tongwei because of some personal grudges, and provided testimony that was unfavorable to Qi Tongwei in the previous investigation. Zhang San keenly realized that this might be a breakthrough, so he personally found Xiao Li.
After Zhang San met Xiao Li, he did not rush to force him to change his testimony, but talked to him in a seemingly understanding and sympathetic manner. He showed Xiao Li some so-called "new evidence" that was cleverly edited and forged, suggesting that Xiao Li's previous testimony might have been used by others, causing him to become a tool for others to attack Qi Tongwei. Xiao Li began to waver under Zhang San's instigation. Zhang San took the opportunity to propose that if Xiao Li was willing to testify again, indicating that there was a misunderstanding in his previous testimony, and cooperated with them to find more evidence to prove Qi Tongwei's innocence, then he would help Xiao Li solve some problems in work and life. Under the interests and misleading, Xiao Li finally agreed to Zhang San's request.
With the transformation of Xiao Li, a key figure, Zhang San began to build his chain of evidence. They re-examined some of the project approval documents involving Qi Tongwei and found that some of the documents had blurred signatures and unclear seals. Zhang San used this as a starting point to claim that these documents may have been tampered with, thereby framing Qi Tongwei. To further confirm this, they found a so-called "document identification expert" who, at the instruction of Zhang San, issued an ambiguous identification report, suggesting that the documents were suspected of being forged.
In terms of on-site investigation, Zhang San led the team to re-investigate a place where Qi Tongwei was accused of corruption and bribery. During the investigation, they deliberately ignored some key evidence and emphasized some insignificant but seemingly suspicious details. For example, they found that a surveillance camera near the trading place was installed at a similar time to the trading time, so they made a big fuss, claiming that the camera might have been installed later to collect so-called "evidence", in order to question the authenticity of the previous surveillance video.
When it comes to surveillance video, Zhang San pulled out all the stops. He hired a top technical team to conduct an in-depth analysis of the surveillance video. The technical team used complex technical means to find some tiny traces of editing in the video. Although these traces cannot prove that the content of the video is false, Zhang San exaggerated in court, claiming that this is enough to show that the surveillance video was maliciously tampered with and cannot be used as evidence in court.