Chapter 93 - 74: The Court Trial Turned into a Legal Duel

A barrage of legal arguments, like a cannonade, slammed into the prosecution.

The three judges on the bench were still trying to untangle the logic.

The next moment.

The three prosecutors at their table responded in unison.

"Objection!"

"At the start of the recording, the agent clearly indicated the camera’s direction and specific location!"

"Furthermore, all questions asked were relevant to the case. There was nothing improper."

"In summary, the agent’s actions are in full compliance with Articles 130 and 131 of the Civil Code!"

"This recording was made based on the legal principles of consent, fairness, equality, and good faith!"

At that moment, the minds of Huang Shi, Wang Mang, and Zhang Qing became complex computers.

Logic and counter-arguments that would have previously required lengthy discussion...

Now, with just a bit of pressure from Xu De...

...flowed effortlessly from their mouths, perfectly articulated!

At the defense table.

Several lawyers’ foreheads were burning. They were clearly overloaded, but they continued to push their minds to the limit, trying to keep them running.

"We object!"

Zhang Wei argued heatedly:

"Your Honor, midway through the recording, the agent clearly left, yet the camera kept rolling while the witness was alone... Any footage recorded after that point exceeds the reasonable scope of a ’mutual discussion’!"

"According to the principle of fairness in Article 6 and the requirement for a true expression of intent in Article 143 of the Civil Code..."

"Our client’s consent to be recorded was based on the reciprocal premise that ’both parties would be present and mutually constrained.’ However, the other party unilaterally left the room. This twisted the agreement into ’our client being confined while the other party was free from surveillance,’ causing a complete imbalance of rights and obligations."

"Article 68 of the Rules of Evidence stipulates that because this portion of the evidence infringes upon legal rights and interests, it should be legally excluded or have its evidentiary weight diminished!"

Xu De had left midway through.

Since the camera kept rolling, according to the law, all footage from the moment he left until the end should have its weight diminished.

As for the evidence from *before* he left... if the judge admitted it, it would actually be more favorable to the defense!

Although the time frame was short, everyone understood this.

The prosecution, naturally, was not about to let the defense’s wish come true.

"Objection!"

From the prosecution’s table.

Prosecutor Zhang Qing gritted his teeth, drawing on a lifetime of study as he sifted through a mental library of countless legal principles, searching for a relevant statute.

"Before collecting evidence, our client, Xu De, explicitly stated the terms: ’in any form, by any method, for up to one hour, and it’s not over until I say it’s over’!"

"According to Article 135 of the Civil Code, the text explicitly states that a verbal agreement is legally valid!"

"In summary, the evidence submitted by our agent is fully compliant with the law!"

Although this was the Civil Code, and its rules pertained to gathering evidence in civil matters, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be applied to criminal cases.

The core principles defining the legality of evidence were largely the same across criminal, civil, and administrative law, so it could serve as a supporting argument.

But then again...

"We object!"

"The agent, Xu De, collected evidence using methods of inducement and deception."

"Furthermore, although the witness, Lv Guangjun, was in a public space, he was the only one there and thus had a high expectation of privacy."

"Yet the agent secretly recorded him without consent, invading his privacy. This is a clear and serious violation!"

"The ’verbal consent’ mentioned in Article 135 of the Civil Code cannot be interpreted as an ’unlimited waiver of all privacy rights’!"

"In conclusion..."

At the defense table.

The sight of Zhang Wei arguing himself hoarse made even the senior lawyers on his team break out in a sweat.

’He’s rattling off legal analyses from memory...’

’No wonder he’s a Gold Medal Lawyer. With that kind of Legal Ability, who else could be!?’

’It’s just...’

’...why haven’t we seen this level of Legal Ability from Zhang Wei in past cases?’

The team was filled with a sense of awe.

But Zhang Wei, pushed to his absolute limit, had no time for such thoughts. One obscure legal precedent after another surfaced in his mind.

Zhang Wei continued:

"The mandatory requirement to ’explicitly state the purpose, method, and scope’ of surveillance, when applied to criminal evidence gathering, constitutes a serious violation of the right to private communication and privacy!"

"It is in complete violation of Article 17 of the Personal Information Protection Act and should be ruled inadmissible!"

Prosecutor Wang Mang shot back.

"This took place in a shared, open office environment. It was not wiretapping or covert surveillance. All recording was explicitly announced beforehand and conducted only after the subject voluntarily consented!"

"Furthermore, the terms of the contract were declared to the other party in advance, informing them that they could leave midway, that the recording would remain valid even if they were alone, and that it would continue until explicitly declared finished!"

"There was no imbalance of rights and obligations, nor was there any deception. It violates no laws whatsoever!"

He was right.

The two parties had signed a contract.

Xu De’s side had been perfectly clear in their explanation, although there was a hint of inducement in his actions, implying that ’leaving meant the camera would be taken away.’

But then again...

Xu De had left on the pretext of an ’urgent work call,’ which was about as legitimate a reason as one could have for leaving a meeting.

So... the prosecution had a point.

The expressions on the faces of the defense team turned grim.

The senior lawyers and their assistants were powerless to help. They racked their brains but couldn’t find a quick solution.

Just then.

"We object!"

Gold Medal Lawyer Sun Bing gritted her teeth and interjected with a rebuttal.

"The contract both parties signed constitutes a ’blanket, bundled, and unlimited authorization’! It failed to provide an itemized breakdown of rights being waived, which violates the ’duty of full disclosure’ under Article 17 of the Personal Information Protection Act!"

"Even if our client gave verbal consent, that consent does not grant the other party the right to violate his privacy, monitor his private communications, or indirectly restrict his personal freedom."

"This is a clear violation of Article 52 of the Criminal Procedure Law, as well as Article 106 of its Interpretations. This evidence was obtained illegally!"

’Another master?!’

The team was jolted, and all heads turned to see Sun Bing once again unleashing a torrent of brilliant rhetoric.