People are in Conan, but Ace Attorney

Chapter 883 A Dragon-like Reversal (87)

[Testimony related to the murder of Sera Katsumi]

[Testimony begins]

"What I'm about to say is simple... I didn't kill Sera."

“At the time of the incident, I was having a meeting with senior members of the Jinshan Group at the headquarters building. Others can testify for me.”

"I was unaware of this matter beforehand. It wasn't until news reports in Kamurocho mentioned the murder of Sera that I learned about it being killed by unknown individuals."

"Of course, because my reputation within the Tojo Clan is not good, there may be others, or even people placed next to me, who, at this time, deliberately say that I murdered Chairman Sera for the sake of their master."

"However, I believe that neither the presiding judge nor Attorney Xiang Yuan would believe the erroneous testimonies of these interested parties, would they?"

"That's all I have to say."

[End of testimony]

Akira Nishikiyama's testimony sounds illogical, and in fact, it is illogical.

Don't overthink it. Xiang Yuanguang also realized that Nishikiyama Akira probably ran into Nagashima Seiichi, who had just left the First Trial Court, on his way to the court, which is why he said those things in court.

Indeed, in a normal trial setting, the credibility of testimony from interested witnesses is not high.

A conviction for murder based solely on the testimony of interested witnesses may be widely questioned on appeal, even if the presiding judge approves it during the trial.

But does Seiichi Nagashima really meet the criteria of a witness with low credibility?
Xiang Yuanguang's finger gently touched his forehead.

Admittedly, Seiichi Nagashima did have dealings with Yasuhito Ito and sold internal intelligence information of the Nishikiyama Group in exchange for money, but this alone is not enough to prove that he had a vested interest, and therefore his testimony is not very credible.

The simplest explanation is one of them —

Seiichi Nagashima did indeed inform Yasuhito Ito about the assassination of Sera Katsu, and the assassination of Sera Katsu did indeed occur as the information provided by Seiichi Nagashima indicated.

If this is false information used by Seiichi Nagashima to frame someone...

So the only explanation is that Ito Yasuhito has turned this charade into reality. But the problem is, if Ito Yasuhito does turn this charade into reality, then the entire logical chain of this series of cases will have to be overturned and started over.

In the past, most of the evidence used to support proof was deemed false. Is it really possible that this situation would be accepted?

The lawyer in blue picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.

His gaze fell on Akira Nishikiyama. He pondered the next questioning phase for a moment, then glanced in the direction of the prosecutor's table, intending to see what Sayoko Iwai thought.

However, this chief prosecutor of the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office's Public Security Department had completely given up at this point.

She seemed completely uninterested in the testimony before her, her attention seemingly focused entirely on the paper documents in her hands, making one wonder if she was truly capable of being a prosecutor.

"I see. Is there a conflict of interest?"

The blond judge stroked his chin, speaking thoughtfully.

From this perspective, it seems that the two witnesses who previously claimed that Akira Nishikiyama was the killer of Sera Katsu, Yasuhito Ito and Seiichi Nagashima, had a vested interest, making their testimonies seem less credible. If someone else were to kill Sera Katsu, that wouldn't be impossible to understand.

After all, neither Sayoko Iwai nor the Japanese Public Security Bureau have found the murder weapon—the sniper rifle—that killed Sera Katsumi, so they cannot completely pinpoint the suspect's identity.

However, after careful consideration, the presiding judge did not rush to a conclusion as he had done before. Instead, he turned to the defense table and said seriously,
"Attorney Xiang Yuan, it's your turn to ask your questions. Please begin."

As previously stated, the questioning phase by the defense attorney will proceed directly after the testimony.

He naturally wouldn't interfere at this time. If he felt there was a problem, he could raise it after the questioning phase. In any case, as the presiding judge, his authority in the courtroom was the highest.

It's never too late to bring it up.
The presiding judge did not speak rashly at this moment.

This surprised Kazami Yuya, who had worked with the blond judge many times. After all, in his impression, the judges of the First Trial Court were always the type who were short-tempered and outspoken.

However, since the blond judge did not turn his guns on Nishikiyama Akira at this moment because of his testimony, it was a good thing. At least he didn't have to think about how to persuade the judge to give up his idea.

As the police officer in charge of the trial of this public safety incident, Yuya Kazami tapped his fingers lightly on the folder he had brought with him, and his gaze shifted from the presiding judge to Akira Nishikiyama.

—Akira Nishikiyama, the youngest leader of the Tojo Clan's direct subordinate organization. Although he is not as talented as those real insiders, he is already considered one of the outstanding types in the Tojo Clan.

Now that he has clearly raised the concept of stakeholder involvement, we must consider how to respond.

Many thoughts flashed through Kazami Yuya's mind.

Admittedly, Seiichi Nagashima and Yasuhito Ito do have a vested interest.

Since Ito Yasuhito infiltrated the Tojo Clan with the intention of delivering a fatal blow to them and allowing the Omi Federation to expand its influence in the Tokyo area, it's understandable that he would profit from any action he took against anyone.

It is precisely because Ito Yasuhito possesses this characteristic that it is reasonable for him to take action against any high-ranking member of the Tojo Clan.

Therefore, Seiichi Nagashima, who joined forces with Yasuhito Ito, also possessed this characteristic.

After all, Seiichi Nagashima was brought in as a witness during today's court proceedings, and the Japanese Public Security Bureau has not conducted a sufficient investigation into his information. Therefore, the Japanese Public Security Bureau cannot provide a clear answer.

—It cannot be concluded that Seiichi Nagashima only engaged in information trading with Yasuhito Ito.

In other words, there is indeed a possibility that Seiichi Nagashima, for money, would fabricate facts after selling information, and cooperate with Yasuhito Ito to stab his boss Akira Nishikiyama in the back.

"Proving this is quite troublesome."

Kazami Yuya shook his head and sighed softly.

If Ito Yasuhito had clearly explained Nagashima Seiichi's existence during yesterday's trial, this problem wouldn't exist. One night would have been more than enough time to investigate Nagashima Seiichi.

Now we can only take one step at a time.

Hopefully, nothing more troublesome will happen next.

(End of this chapter)