American Tax Officer-Chapter 851 - 426: The Silent Trial_2

Chapter 851 -426: The Silent Trial_2

Many onlookers were also deep in thought at the scene, unsure of what game these people were ultimately playing.

“Defendant Kang Gua, this court accuses you of malfeasance, collusion with drug traffickers, tax evasion…among other serious charges. Do you have anything to say?”

With Judge Alica’s opening remarks, all eyes in the courtroom turned to the Chief of the New York Police Department.

What surprised people again, however, was that Kang Gua did not seem inclined to speak, remaining silent with a calm demeanor.

“Defendant, you have the right to remain silent!”

David turned his head to look at David and said, “Inspector David, please come forward to give your statement!”

David approached the podium, pulled out an envelope, and said, “Your Honor, you and everyone here may remember the so-called Thunder Operation recently conducted by the New York City Police Department. In this envelope, there is information about Director Kang Gua’s collusion with some crime syndicate leaders during the operation. Please review it!”

The law enforcement officers at the scene handed the material over to Alica.

After carefully examining for about five or six minutes, Alica flipped the documents in front of the public and said, “Defendant, this document indeed records some of your associations with some crime groups in New York. Do you have anything to say?”

“According to the document, did Director Kang Gua’s so-called Operation Daji actually involve some kind of agreement with these crime groups?”

“This also involves millions of US Dollars in vested interests. It seems Director Kang Gua might not be able to clear his name now.”

“…”

After seeing the contents of the document through the media cameras, citizens watching in New York City were instantly in an uproar.

Although Kang Gua’s expression turned somewhat grim, he still maintained his silence.

Alica then turned to David and said, “Chief Inspector David, do you have anything to add?”

“Your Honor, while we have tangible evidence, to allow the public to understand more detailed evidence of Kang Gua’s crimes, I would like to request a key witness from the crime syndicate to come forward and give a statement.”

“Granted!”

In the hallway, a man around 30-years-old, covered in tattoos, was brought forward.

“Witness, please begin your statement.”

“Yes, Your Honor”, Ruth Godfrey said. “Before Director Kang Gua initiated Operation Thunder, we…”

Ruth, the man, started detailing the purposes and specifics of the operation previously conducted by the New York City Police Department, instantly causing an uproar both at the scene and online.

“Unexpectedly, this Kang Gua turned out to be such a person.”

“Terrifying, to think he was in collusion with these crime groups. Thankfully Chief Inspector David took him down, or who knows how he might have continued harming our New York!”

“Tax evasion is serious enough, but Director Kang Gua actually colluded with crime syndicates and engaged in wrongful practices to garner votes for certain candidates!”

“I used to defend him, but now it seems our Police Chief being taken by the Internal Revenue Service was thoroughly justified!”

Seemingly sensing the murmurings in the crowd and online discussions, Kang Gua’s demeanor finally showed a hint of unease.

“Defendant, do you have anything to rebut the witness’s statement?”

Kang Gua remained silent as ever.

Naturally, this silence sparked further confusion among the crowd and online.

The evidence is conclusive; the sentence is about to be declared, how can you still have nothing to say?

Even if we were to put a dog on trial today, it might bark twice at the court.

Do you really just accept your fate?

All in all, the behavior displayed by Kang Gua at the moment felt incredibly odd to everyone.

Ignoring the thoughts of the public, Alica stated bluntly, “Since the defendant chooses not to make a statement, no matter, we have both eyewitness and physical proof. All accused crimes are confirmed, and the sentence will be delivered shortly!”

With Alica’s statement, it also meant that Kang Gua had no possibility of turning the tables; what awaited him next was only prison.

“Governor Derick, this court now charges you with corruption, malfeasance, and tax evasion. Do you have anything to say?”

Alica’s inquiry instantly drew everyone’s focus onto Derick.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise again, Governor Derick, just like Eve, maintained a silent demeanor.

Alica ignored him and turned her gaze to David, saying, “Chief Inspector David, it’s your turn to present!”

David took an envelope from Manson and said, “Your Honor, this envelope contains Governor Derick’s accounts at the Swiss National Bank, along with some transactions involving unclear funds. Please review it!”

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Law enforcement officers took the envelope to Judge Alica.

About seven to eight minutes later, Alica, just like before, first flipped the documents to show them to the media and then questioned Derick. “Defendant, according to the investigation results listed in these documents, these accounts are indeed yours, and they contain a large amount of money. Do you have any explanation?”

Derick furrowed his brows but remained silent.

This left the experienced Judge Alica gradually speechless. She then turned to David and asked, “Chief Inspector David, is there anything else to add?”

“Indeed, we have also found some key witnesses.”

“Permission to approach the bench granted!”

Four men came up the aisle.

Many in the audience recognized these four; three of them were executives of well-known companies in New York, and one was Derick’s administrative assistant.

Seeing these men, a chill flashed in Derick’s eyes.

“Witnesses, please state your testimonies!”

“Yes, Your Honor!”

The lead witness stepped forward and said, “First, let me introduce myself. I am the Vice President of PO Group. On the 2nd of last month, there was a tender issue by the state government. Our group spent 2 million US dollars, obtained the internal pricing from Governor Derick, and won the tender…”

As the witness spoke,

the courtroom erupted in whispers. Many had previously questioned whether David truly held incriminating evidence against Governor Derick.

But now, it seemed clear that, based on the previously mentioned documents and the current testimonies of the witnesses, the governor was indeed guilty of malfeasance, bribery, and tax evasion.

In a moment of reflection, the first witness finished his testimony, and the second witness approached the stand, saying, “Your Honor, my name is…”

“…”

After about ten minutes, all four witnesses had sequentially given their statements.

Notably, Derick’s assistant drew significant attention; he revealed all the years of Derick’s bribery, malfeasance, tax evasion, and even the matter of keeping several mistresses.

This revelation caused the usually composed Derick’s face to contort.

“Based on the documents and testimonies of the witnesses, defendant Derick indeed committed substantial tax evasion and other criminal acts. Defendant, are you sure you don’t want to defend yourself?”

Derick’s lips touched each other back and forth, but eventually, he seemed to decide against speaking.

“Very well, this court will take it as an admission of the criminal acts. We will now proceed to pass judgment on you. Defendant Stevenson, this court accuses you…”

Following Kang Gua and Derick, in the subsequent period, Stevenson and Andre faced questioning as well.

However, what increasingly intrigued everyone was that these individuals seemed to share a unanimous mindset; regardless of Alica’s questioning, they had no intention to argue or even clarify a single statement.

Alica, who had been practicing for seven to eight years, was encountering this situation for the first time during a trial.

And both the spectators in the courtroom and those watching the live stream were equally bewildered, not understanding what Derick, Kang Gua, and the others were up to.