Life of Being a Crown Prince in France-Chapter 569 - 480: Crime of Huge Amounts of Property with Unidentified Sources

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Mara glanced at the Crown Prince’s expression, then peered at the investigation report in his hand, and immediately said, "Your Highness, please give me some time. If they have indeed committed embezzlement, I will certainly be able to uncover it!"

Upon hearing this, Joseph’s brows still did not relax.

He believed that with Mara’s "dogged" spirit, sooner or later, he would be able to dig up those officials’ dirty secrets—even the evidence of the Governor of Poitou’s corruption had been unearthed by him—but still, the time that it would take was too long.

If he could not deter in the shortest possible time those officials who dared to oppose the abolition of the Tax Farmers system, more people would follow suit, accepting bribes to join the chorus against him.

After all, even if the postal system were to "collapse," at worst, it would be chaotic for a month, so one must make a quick decision to convict all these forty-some people.

For an instant, the thought of instructing the Intelligence Department to fabricate evidence against these men flickered through Joseph’s mind.

However, he immediately dismissed the notion. Once such a precedent was set, it would have endless harmful consequences; it could even lead to a day when the Intelligence Department might concoct charges against the Royal Family.

It would be best to adhere to the universally recognized political rules to avoid serious side effects.

Joseph subconsciously flipped through the investigation report and suddenly noticed that it stated a certain official from a southern province had total assets of 50,000 francs, yet his position was merely a municipal hall judicial assistant, with a salary that should not exceed 60 francs per month, and his family did not hold any ennobled fiefs and clearly had no business income.

That is to say, if this individual did not have an illegitimate income, he would have to work for 70 years without eating or drinking to accumulate such wealth.

And yet, he had been appointed just nine years ago, and the province of Montauban he served in was an extremely poor one.

Joseph turned to the next page.

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This was the municipal commissioner of Poitiers, with assets exceeding 120,000 francs. His family indeed had a manor, but it could only produce about 2,500 francs per year. His father had bought the manor 17 years ago, which could not account for his vast wealth.

The situations of the next dozen or so people were much the same, all with considerable assets but without industries to earn so much money.

Joseph squinted his eyes. The report listed only the information the investigators could gather in a short time, meaning the actual assets of the officials were likely even more than these figures.

A term immediately sprang to mind in his head—"unexplained large property crime."

Although in the 18th century, it seemed unrealistic to codify this crime into law, and the legislative process was too time-consuming, it did not hinder the use of its concept in investigating evidence of the officials’ crimes.

One must realize that the Justice Investigation Department indeed had the power of interrogation. And Mara, who always disliked the bureaucrats, would certainly not hold back in his interrogations as long as he had something to latch onto.

Joseph then smiled slightly, looking at Mara, "Mr. Mara, have you heard of the ’unexplained large property crime’?"

"Ah?"

...

Poitiers.

In an office of the Official Investigation Bureau, Baron Kasitong, the municipal commissioner, glared angrily at the two black-clothed investigators in front of him and clenched his fists forcefully, "You dare to summon me without any evidence! I will surely accuse you before Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Please, please don’t be nervous," Demulan said calmly, looking at him, "We’re just, just having a chat with you. As for the accusation, that, that’s your right."

The Investigation Bureau had been very busy recently. As its second in command, he also had to personally take charge of the interrogation work.

Feeling that his own way of speaking was too inefficient, he shot a glance at his assistant and then stepped aside.

The assistant immediately produced a document and said grimly to Baron Kasitong, "Your assets exceed 120,000 francs, correct?"

"What business is it of yours?!" Kasitong retorted.

Demulan’s assistant went on as if talking to himself, "You have previously served as an assistant financial officer, a trade commissioner, and four years ago you were promoted to municipal commissioner. We’ve calculated that all your salaries put together over the years total 7,820 francs."

"So what?" Kasitong said dismissively.

"The total earnings from your manor since its purchase should be 37,000 francs. The house you own in the eastern side of the city has been rented out, adding up to 4,000 francs in rent over the years. You’ve written articles for ’Life and Salon Newspaper,’ and the total fees accrued..."

"..."

"Your wife and children have no income. Your wife brought a dowry of 2,000 francs when she married you. Have I missed anything?"

Kasitong merely sneered as if he couldn’t be bothered to answer.

"So since you were born, your total income adds up to 51,000 francs," recited Demulan’s assistant mechanically from the report, "And your family’s living expenses, including the purchase of your current residence, everyday food and clothing, spending at clubs, and at least 18,000 francs.

"That means, your fortune should be 33,000 francs. Yet, your property amounts to over 120,000 francs."

He suddenly leaned in close to Kasitong, their noses nearly touching, "So, could you explain where this extra 87,000 francs came from?"

"The extra amount?" Kasitong became somewhat nervous, "It’s... an inheritance left by my father."

"You’re lying! The inheritance tax you paid all added up to 820 livres, which means you inherited 13,000 livres."

"Oh, I remember now, I invested in a friend’s business and received dividends."

"Good. What’s his name, where does he live, and what business does he do?"

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"..."

Kasitong couldn’t fabricate anything on the spot and eventually gritted his teeth, "So what if I’m rich? That’s all from some friends who admire me!"

Demulan suddenly broke into a smile from the side, "Who, who gave you money?"

"It’s none of your business!"

"Of, of course, it’s my business," Demulan said loudly, "Giving money to an, an official for no reason, this, this is bribery!"

Kasitong was interrogated for two days and two nights, and afterwards, Demulan applied to the High Court to extend the interrogation for another two days. Over at Joseph’s end, he had already instructed the courts through the Royal Supreme Court, so such requests were quickly approved.

Although Kasitong was a noble, the investigators, mainly Jacobins, despised the nobles the most, so they used every tactic such as coercion and sleep deprivation, short of direct physical assault.

Finally, on the afternoon of the second day, Kasitong could not hold up any longer and began to confess the details of his embezzlement.

Many film and television dramas often depict criminals with strong psychological defenses who persistently deny all charges under interrogation. However, in reality, most people collapse psychologically in the interrogation room within half a day.

Especially since Demulan kept hammering on the issue of "source of assets," Kasitong found it impossible to bluff his way through.

Meanwhile, similar scenarios were playing out across France. The investigators of the Official Investigation Bureau had reaped a bountiful harvest.

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