121: Here you go, do you dare to take it?

It was already the next day.

Zhou Yun washed up, packed his things, and prepared to go out; he was going to negotiate with the other party today.

Originally, his idea was to go, listen to the other party's conditions, and then directly retort. There was no way he would agree to this settlement.

Although adultery, under current law, can only be a reason for “divorce compensation,” the general public absolutely detests such behavior!

It’s so disgusting, just hearing about it makes one feel sick. Even if it costs some money, they insist on getting involved with married people. Disgusting!

If cases were truly judged online, Liu Jiale's actions would have resulted in his death a hundred times over.

Oh, no, that's not right. For online judgments, the death penalty is just the starting point; the methods of execution would absolutely not be limited to injection and firing squad…

Unless there's one thing: the prosecutor says that active restitution combined with criminal reconciliation can lead to non-prosecution!

In that case, he would let Zhang Yunfan decide for himself, as the concept of non-prosecution is truly different.

Unfortunately, under the integrated arrest and prosecution system, once the prosecutor has decided to arrest, the probability of non-prosecution is too small…

There are indeed cases of non-prosecution after arrest, and according to data released by the Supreme Procuratorate 20 years ago, the probability of non-prosecution after arrest is about two percent.

Zhou Yun did not feel he had that kind of influence, especially when the evidence currently appears to be particularly strong.

But confronting them directly was only his original idea. After having new thoughts yesterday, his idea was to drag out the case.

As long as he could drag it out, that would be a victory.

Of course, even if he couldn't drag it out, it didn't matter. After the judgment there, he could apply for a retrial or protest. With new evidence, it would still be relatively easy.

It's just that Zhang Yunfan might be wronged for some time.

While thinking, Zhou Yun walked out of the community, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Nanyun District Procuratorate.

Half an hour later, in a conference room on the fourth floor of the Procuratorate, Zhou Yun met the handling prosecutor, Procurator Li Huanshan.

“Lawyer Zhou, hello. I’ve heard your name countless times recently,” Procurator Li Huanshan said, stepping forward with a smile and extending her hand.

Zhou Yun reached out, shook her hand, and also smiled, “Is meeting me not as good as hearing about me?”

“Lawyer Zhou, what are you saying? Now that I’ve met you, I feel you truly live up to your reputation. Please sit here. Liu Jiale should be arriving soon.”

Zhou Yun nodded and sat down, and then the two began to discuss the case.

“Lawyer Zhou, I can understand what you said yesterday, so today I will also try my best to persuade Liu Jiale to give up his claim for compensation, but the stolen money must be returned.”

“If the stolen goods are not returned, it will be difficult for me to do my work,” Procurator Li Huanshan said, placing a cup of hot water down.

Zhou Yun pondered for a moment before saying, “Prosecutor Li, that’s easy to say, but my client may not agree. I don’t know if you’ve met him, but he currently wishes he could kill Liu Jiale.”

Procurator Li Huanshan sighed upon hearing this, “This is also one of the reasons we didn’t grant him bail. In any case, let’s discuss it later; this case is not urgent.”

Originally, Procurator Li Huanshan had expected Zhou Yun’s attitude to be very firm, but now it seemed he had a slight intention of reconciliation, which meant there was hope.

If there's hope, it's worth working for.

As for the case deadline, to be honest, it's not very urgent. Every profession has its ways, and the Procuratorate is no different.

Normally, the review for prosecution is one month, and for major and complex cases, it can be extended by half a month.

These are the explicit regulations. Logically, when a case reaches the Procuratorate, it should be handled within a month and a half, right? Well, you're being naive.

What happens if there are too many cases to handle? They are returned to the Public Security Bureau for supplementary investigation.

If the Procuratorate finds issues with a case and needs to return it to the Public Security Bureau for supplementary investigation, the deadline is one month.

If it still doesn't work after two returns for supplementary investigation, a decision not to prosecute must be made.

Originally, this provision in the Criminal Procedure Law was beneficial to suspects: if there are issues with the evidence review, they are asked to re-investigate, and if it still doesn't work after two attempts, they cannot be prosecuted.

But in practice, it's different. Some places use supplementary investigation as a means of delaying case handling.

Oh, there are so many cases, we can't handle them. Let's return them for supplementary investigation, make the Comrades of the Public Security Bureau suffer a bit more, and I'll take the blame. Doesn't that add another month?

At this point, you need to remember that after the supplementary investigation returns, the review for prosecution period is recalculated, meaning another month is added, and for major and complex cases, another half month can be added.

This can add up to two and a half months in total.

What if that's still not enough? A second return for supplementary investigation is not impossible, but the Public Security Bureau will complain!

What to do? Article 175 of the Criminal Procedure Law stipulates: When the People's Procuratorate reviews a case and needs supplementary investigation, it may return the case to the Public Security Bureau for supplementary investigation, or it may conduct the investigation itself.

See? The Procuratorate also has the power of investigation!

Of course, in practice, this power is largely nominal; they basically just list out the evidence and notify the Police Comrades to do the work.

When you can direct others to do the work, few people are willing to do it themselves, not to mention that the Public Security Bureau itself has so many investigative methods.

But no matter what, doesn't this add another two and a half months?

So, truly speaking, the theoretical maximum duration for the review for prosecution stage is six and a half months.

It's fine if they are on bail, but if not, they'll just stay in the Detention Center.

That's why it's repeatedly emphasized that law is just a tool, and its application can change in an instant.

Getting back to the main topic, the two chatted very well in the conference room.

About ten minutes later, the door to the conference room was pushed open. Zhou Yun looked over and saw a fair-skinned man who indeed looked somewhat handsome.

If you only looked at his appearance, you would feel that he was only in his twenties.

The man who entered was Liu Jiale, who spoke, “Prosecutor Li?”

Procurator Li Huanshan nodded, “You’re here, right? Sit here. Let me introduce you, this is Zhang Yunfan’s defense lawyer, Zhou Yun.”

Liu Jiale had naturally heard Zhou Yun’s name. At this moment, he quickly stepped forward and said, “Lawyer Zhou, hello.”

Facing the hand extended by the other party, Zhou Yun made no movement, just staring fixedly at him.

Three seconds later, Liu Jiale expressionlessly withdrew his hand and then sat opposite Zhou Yun.

Procurator Li Huanshan spoke, “Everyone is here, let’s start talking. Liu Jiale, please state your conditions again.”

Liu Jiale looked at Zhou Yun across from him and then said, “My conditions are very simple: return that thirty thousand to me, and then compensate me for my medical expenses. That’s not too much, is it?!”

“You can’t even refuse to return the stolen money, and you injured me. If I sue, I’ll still get that money.”

Procurator Li Huanshan didn’t speak. Zhou Yun looked at the man opposite him and slowly said, “Liu, if we agree to give you the money, do you dare to take it?”

“Do you know what the only thing my client wants to do right now is?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiale’s face looked a bit unnatural, but he still said, “Then… then what? These are all reasonable demands.”

Zhou Yun smiled upon hearing this, “Alright, reasonable demands are no problem. I’ll go meet my client tomorrow. I’ll see if he agrees.”

“I’ll tell him that you said these are all reasonable demands, and if he doesn’t give it, you’ll still sue him. What do you think, Liu?”

Liu Jiale stopped speaking.