Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 461 - 198: Safety Net Charge: Crime of Illegally Absorbing Public Deposits_2
Regulations also addressed other serious circumstances: for example, if the number of illegal lenders reached 100, or if the actions caused a significant social impact. Meng Lei did not meet either of these conditions. Therefore, if his actions couldn’t be classified as fraud, his maximum sentence was three years. A three-year sentence was anticipated. If, however, his actions were classified as fraud, his sentence could be up to ten years. That was also why he had first advised Ma Ming to prioritize pressing charges for fraud.
"Xiao Qin... you’re sneakily cunning."
Zhang Qingyuan and the others couldn’t help but take a few steps back after listening, a trace of wariness in their expressions. They hadn’t fully understood what Qin Mu had just explained, only grasping the gist of it.
Which meant... no matter how formidable a lawyer the other side hired, Meng Lei would still go to prison. The only difference was the cap: one at ten years, the other at three!
Once again, they deeply felt that a person knowledgeable in law could find all sorts of charges to pin on you!
Luckily, Qin Mu was one of their own from their institute, and he had a rather good relationship with them. Otherwise... they’d probably not even sleep peacefully.
「Four days later.」
In Yangcheng, it was the day of the trial again.
Ma Ming once more... walked into the courthouse with his attorney, Shi Liangping. Only this time, they didn’t enter the civil court but the criminal court instead.
At half past nine, they both entered the First Criminal Trial Court, sat in their respective seats, and waited for the trial to begin.
From the plaintiff’s seat, Ma Ming glanced at Shi Liangping, who seemed to lack confidence, and said reassuringly, "Lawyer Shi, don’t be nervous. Just do as I said. If the opposing lawyer is formidable, we’ll fall back and sue for the crime of illegal fundraising instead."
Shi Liangping’s old face darkened upon hearing this. Over the past few days, Ma Ming had suggested numerous prosecution strategies to him, and they had discussed the case in detail. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
No. To be more precise, Ma Ming had guided him extensively. Ma Ming had even figured out a fallback plan for him. If the fraud charge was successfully defended against by the opposing lawyer, they would switch to pursuing charges for illegal fundraising.
This charge... was something he’d never envisioned before!
Generally speaking, the crime of illegal fundraising typically targeted financial crimes. But the law didn’t specify it was exclusively for finance, meaning the charge could apply to any act that disrupted another’s economic order. Failing to repay borrowed money also fell into this category. A lawsuit could be filed if the number of lenders reached thirty or more households.
During the wait for the court session, Shi Liangping looked at Ma Ming and couldn’t help but suggest, "Considering how well you know the law... have you ever considered switching careers? Being a programmer is a waste of your talent. If you were a lawyer, you could certainly make a name for yourself in Yangcheng’s legal circles!"
He now greatly respected Ma Ming’s legal expertise. He even thought that Ma Ming being a programmer was simply a waste of talent, like a pearl covered in dust.
"COUGH, COUGH. ’I’ve said it before; I sought the advice of an expert, and he guided me,’" Ma Ming said, his old face flushing as he explained again.
But Shi Liangping just smiled, not pressing for details, assuming Ma Ming was just being modest. He then asked, "By the way, with your knowledge of the law, you must have majored in it, right? Who did you study under?"
The corner of Ma Ming’s mouth twitched. He replied somberly, "I majored in water supply and drainage engineering. As for this legal knowledge... I learned it all online."
Shi Liangping’s mouth fell open. He was suddenly unsure how to respond.
Water supply and drainage engineering, of all things! And he learned these tricky litigation strategies and bases for conviction online? Never mind other things. Many people only knew about fraud; they weren’t even aware of the crime of illegal fundraising. To think that the mere act of borrowing money could fall under this charge!
"Eh? Meng Lei is here?"
While the two were chatting, Ma Ming suddenly noticed a figure outside the courtroom. He saw Meng Lei following a lawyer in. Meng Lei looked somewhat haggard; in just a few days, he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.
Shi Liangping, from the lawyers’ section, also noticed Meng Lei, a look of surprise on his face. He actually... didn’t hire a lawyer?
Ma Ming was stunned for a moment. "Isn’t that person in front of him a lawyer?"
Shi Liangping shook his head and explained, "That’s a legal aid lawyer, the free kind. What I meant was... he didn’t hire his own lawyer." As he said this, he glanced sharply at Meng Lei, suddenly feeling slighted again.
This was a private criminal prosecution. If the defendant lost, he would go to jail. Yet Meng Lei... was underestimating him so profoundly. He hadn’t even hired a professional lawyer, opting instead for legal aid.
It’s well known that free legal aid is available for any criminal case upon application. These kinds of lawyers... strictly speaking, in terms of skill and responsibility, they were far inferior to professional lawyers. More often than not, they were just trying to meet their quotas by providing a mechanical defense. Their salaries were fixed, so winning or losing had no impact on them. Therefore, it was inevitable their work lacked diligence. For Meng Lei to hire such a lawyer... was a complete insult to him!
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. In the previous civil suit, Meng Lei hadn’t bothered to hire a lawyer at all. And now, for this private criminal prosecution... Meng Lei had merely found a free one.
I must win this case! Shi Liangping took a deep breath, clenching his fists secretly. And his wife... doesn’t seem to have come either.
