Hong Kong Tycoon: Starting from Delivering Dongfeng Express

Chapter 168: Litigation
"2000 million yuan in deposits vanished! Daoheng Bank depositors turned into debtors!"

"Daoheng Bank is swallowing money without spitting it out! A 2000 million yuan dispute lawsuit is about to go to court!"

"Daoheng Bank is playing financial tricks! 2000 million in deposits turn into bad debts, and the case has reached the Supreme Court!"

Bang!
In the office of Daoheng Bank, the bank manager slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the table.

"What have you done to deserve this? Let the public outcry grow so huge!"

The two people standing in front of me said aggrievedly:

"Bank manager, there's nothing we can do. By the time we found out, it had already been released!"

"Bank manager, this must have been done by that guy surnamed Ye!"

The bank manager said irritably, "Do you even need to tell me that?"

A month ago, Ye Dongsheng sued Daoheng Bank in court. The trial was scheduled for two days later, but suddenly a large-scale media storm broke out in the newspapers.

At this moment, legal counsel Attorney Han spoke up: "Bank manager, the court hearing is about to begin. The other party is clearly trying to use public opinion to create trouble for us! We can't just sit here and wait to be defeated!"

Public opinion is very important in lawsuits! Because it can influence the jury, and the jury can decide the outcome of a case!
Hong Kong follows the common law system, unlike mainland China where judges make decisions unilaterally; the trial is conducted jointly by a jury and the judge.

As for the division of labor between judges and juries?

The jury is responsible for determining the facts, that is, judging whether the defendant is guilty (in criminal cases) or liable (in civil cases) based on the evidence presented in court. This process is called "decision".

The judge is responsible for the application of the law, which means guiding the jury to understand the legal provisions and determining the specific sentencing or compensation and other legal consequences after the jury makes its verdict.

Initially, juries are divided into grand juries and petit juries. The petit jury is responsible for hearing the case, while the grand jury decides the defendant's guilt or innocence based on the case's development. Before sentencing, the judge asks the jury for their final opinion. At this stage, the jury's decision directly influences the judge's verdict.

Until 1993, the UK comprehensively reformed its jury system, with juries no longer handling civil cases but only certain serious criminal cases, significantly reducing their power. After Hong Kong's return to China in 97, with the gradual improvement of the judicial system, the jury system played only a supplementary and check-and-balance role.

Simply put, in the 80s, the jury could completely control the outcome and direction of a case!

And since juries are selected from ordinary people, they are actually easily influenced by public opinion.

Therefore, Daoheng Bank must respond promptly to the public opinion storm stirred up by Ye Dongsheng before the trial begins.

The bank manager immediately instructed, "Go and contact those newspapers quickly to see if you can get them to remove the news. Also, we need to issue a statement to prove our innocence!"

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, several newspapers also published news about Dao Heng Bank.

Daoheng Bank: A customer is being unreasonable and refusing to repay a mortgage loan of tens of millions of yuan!

Daoheng Bank: All operations during the takeover of Hengfeng Bank were legal and compliant, with no illegal activities whatsoever!

"Tao Hang Bank took over the bankrupt bank in a timely manner, saving tens of thousands of families. A conscientious enterprise in Hong Kong!"

……

As she turned the key, Liu Shufen stepped into her home, kicked off her high heels, took a letter from her bag, and then walked into the living room with a smile:

"Honey, I received a court summons!"

The man who was reading the newspaper looked up: "Hmm? You're going to court tomorrow? It's not that Daoheng Bank 2000 million dispute case, is it?"

"I don't know. The High Court might have more than one case tomorrow, and I'm just a jury candidate right now. I don't even know if I'll be selected."

The Hong Kong Island jury has a large list that is rotated every two years. Before each trial, a group of people are randomly selected from this list to be on standby as candidates. Then, during the trial, the judge draws lots from these candidates to select the jury for the day.

Even though she wasn't selected, Liu Shufen was still very happy. With this court summons, she could legally take leave, and the company wouldn't refuse.

Her husband waved the newspaper in his hand and said, "This matter has caused quite a stir these past two days. The client says the bank owes him 2000 million and won't pay it back, while the bank says the client is a deadbeat who won't pay the loan. I really don't know which is true and which is false!"

"But to be honest, banks in Hong Kong have been going bankrupt quite frequently in recent years. Every year there are banks that have collapsed or gone bankrupt, and the Hong Kong government simply can't manage them all. In the end, it's us ordinary people who suffer!"

The man shook his head as he spoke.

Liu Shufen put her hands on her hips and said, "Don't influence me. I need to maintain a neutral stance and can't let you affect my judgment!"

At this moment, she felt a sacred sense of mission, as if she were about to transform into Bao Zheng and participate in solving cases!

The man couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's smug look: "Alright, female Judge Bao, handle the case well tomorrow!"

"Mom, I'm hungry!"

Upon hearing her son's voice, the female Bao Gong immediately went into the kitchen and became a cook again.

……

The following day, at 38 Queensway, Hong Kong Island High Court.

"Ms. Liu Shufen!"

Upon hearing her name called, Liu Shufen excitedly exclaimed "Yeah!" She had actually been selected to become one of the jurors in this 2000 million yuan dispute!

After the seven jurors were selected by lottery, the group, led by staff, went to the jury box.

After taking her seat on the jury, Liu Shufen looked toward the plaintiff's seat and was immediately struck by what a dashing and imposing young man he was!

Is this the bank customer who deposited 2000 million? He was sitting there calmly and composed, and his appearance and demeanor were in no way inferior to male celebrities on TV!

Then she looked at the defendant's dock, at a middle-aged man wearing glasses whose belly bulged out of his suit, making her involuntarily purse her lips. He was clearly a greasy, middle-aged boss, the type she hated most.

Liu Shufen immediately shook her head, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and silently repeated "neutral, neutral" several times in her mind...

At this moment, Ye Dongsheng also glanced in the direction of the jury. According to Sandy, the dashing female lawyer beside him, the key to their victory today actually lies with the jury.

Based on Ye Dongsheng's observation, this jury system is somewhat similar to the gentry and clan-based system of judging cases in ancient China. In fact, even in mainland China, many grassroots disputes are judged by a few respected figures, such as village chiefs, village party secretaries, and brigade leaders, and most cases don't even reach the courts. The only difference is that the jury members in Hong Kong are constantly changing, and the power is not monopolized by a few individuals.

He then glanced around the courtroom and noticed that the audience seats were packed, indicating that the case was attracting a lot of attention and had become a recent social focus.

At this moment, many people in the audience were talking quietly:

"Wow, the plaintiff is so young, which rich family's young master is he?"

"The newspaper said he was the founder of Dongfeng Express?"

"Dongfeng Express, the one that delivers cross-border packages? Our company seems to use it!" "Ha, rich tycoons and banks fighting like dogs! That's rare!"

"Hey, this involves 2000 million! If it were me, I'd make a scene too!"

"Silence! I hereby declare the court in session!"

Soon, after the judge's announcement, all was quiet as both sides began their arguments.

"Your Honor, we have a few points to make regarding the plaintiff, Mr. Ye."

First, the 1960 million yuan bank debt he claims is not actually his, but rather another customer's deposit in Hengfeng Bank. Although Daoheng Bank has acquired Hengfeng Bank, there are doubts about how this deposit was transferred to Mr. Ye, which may involve illegal activities!
Secondly, Mr. Ye has a mortgage loan of 1340 million yuan with Daoheng Bank, but no matter how much our bank staff urged him, he refused to repay the loan. Therefore, we believe that there is a problem with his personal credit.

In conclusion, we believe that the plaintiff is deliberately extorting money from Daoheng Bank!

As he spoke, he handed over the relevant materials to the judge for verification.

These words caused quite a stir. If the facts were as Daoheng Bank's lawyer claimed, the plaintiff Ye Dongsheng's personal moral character was highly questionable, and even the debt he claimed was not his!
Sandy, wearing a wig, stood up abruptly: "Your Honor, regarding the 1960 million deposit, it was legally transferred by Mr. Ye Dongsheng from the original owner, Mr. Lei Dabiao. I request that witness Lei Dabiao appear!"

"allow!"

A moment later, Radar Biao, dressed in a suit, walked in, accompanied by bailiffs.

After he read through the declaration of openness, impartiality, and absolute honesty, the judge asked directly, "Witness, this 1960 million originally belonged to you. Why was it transferred to the plaintiff?"

"Your Honor, this 1960 million is what my wife and I won in the lottery!"

The audience gasped in surprise: "So lucky! 1960 million!"

"I remember now, the newspapers seemed to have reported on this 2000 million jackpot a few months ago!"

The judge banged his gavel: "Silence! You may continue!"

Radar Dart nodded: "After winning the grand prize, I deposited all 1960 million yuan into Hengfeng Bank. I was just thinking about how to spend it when, unexpectedly, Hengfeng Bank went bankrupt!"

Someone below laughed again, which made those who had been feeling envious and jealous feel better.

Radar Dart ignored them: "I was also very sad at the time, but then I saw that Daoheng Bank had acquired Hengfeng Bank and promised to pay Hengfeng Bank's money, so I rushed over to try and withdraw my money. But I never expected..."

As he spoke, Radar Dart glared hatefully at the defendant's dock:

"I didn't expect that Daoheng Bank had no intention of exchanging the money at all. They only support withdrawals for depositors with less than 5 yuan. Large depositors like me can only wait, and there is no time limit. At the same time, he also implied that if I didn't want to wait, I could sign a buyout agreement with the bank to buy out my deposit in Hengfeng Bank for 5 yuan!"

Radar Dart raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and shouted, "That's right, they bought out my 5 million yuan savings for 1960 yuan! I'm stunned by their shamelessness!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar: "I'll take it! Buying 5 million for 1960! This is like a vampire incarnate!"

Liu Shufen was also shocked. She had previously thought that Daoheng Bank had taken over Hengfeng Bank and saved many depositors, and that it was a very responsible company. She never expected that it had this side to it!
The defense attorney immediately stood up: "I protest! The witness's statement is irrelevant to this case!"

Sandy continued, "Your Honor, the witness's testimony relates to the reason for this financial dispute!"

The judge said, "Protest denied. Witnesses may continue!"

"Daoheng Bank is going too far! How could I possibly sign such an agreement? But I never expected them to send gangsters to my home to threaten me and force me to sign it!"

The defense lawyer raised his hand again: "Protest! The witness is fabricating lies and defaming our image!"

Daoheng Bank clearly sent someone first to offer 100 million to buy out the deal, and only threatened him because Radar Dart disagreed!

"Your Honor, no! They sent members of the Chung Ching Society to my house to threaten me. My neighbors can testify to that!"

The judge asked, "Can there be any witnesses who can testify that Dao Heng Bank appointed them?"

Both Radar Dart and Sandy shook their heads.

"Protest valid! Witnesses, please describe the process of the transfer to the plaintiff!"

Radar Dart opened his mouth, but could only continue:

“When I was threatened by Daoheng Bank, it was Mr. Ye who helped me. I knew that I was just an ordinary citizen and had no way to fight against the bank, so I knew I would never get the money back. Therefore, I transferred the deposit to Mr. Ye for 50 yuan, and we signed an agreement!”

The defense lawyer quickly raised his hand: "Your Honor, we question the legality of the agreement. The so-called gangsters are likely a staged act by the plaintiff to swindle a large sum of money from Radar Dart at a low price!"

Sandy retorted: "Protest! This is a slander against us!"

The judge also asked the defense lawyers, "Do you have any witnesses to testify?"

The defense attorney stated, "According to our investigation, the plaintiff has close ties with a triad organization called Tongyitang..."

The judge interrupted again: "Are there any witnesses or evidence?"

The defense lawyer paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Protest valid!"

Then the judge had someone bring over the agreement signed by Radar Dart and Ye Dongsheng for verification.

At this point, the defense lawyer immediately stood up and said, "Your Honor, this agreement involves our assets. It was signed and transferred privately without our consent. We believe the agreement is invalid!"

Sandy retorted, "I protest! The ownership of the $1960 million deposit belongs entirely to Mr. Radar Dart. As long as Mr. Radar Dart signs the agreement on a voluntary basis, it will be legally binding!"

The judge asked Radar Dart, "Were you completely voluntary?"

Radar Dart nodded: "Yes!"

The judge then asked, "Has the 50 yuan stipulated in this agreement been paid to you now?"

Radar Dart laughed, "I received it the next day, and I'm currently choosing a house with my family!"

The audience below started discussing again: "Although 50 is much less than 2000 million, it's still more ethical than Daoheng Bank!"

"Yes, in this situation, it's really good that someone is willing to pay 50!"

"Hey! This is something they deliberately bought, intending to use it specifically against Daoheng Bank!"

The judge struck the gavel: "Protest valid! This agreement is legally binding, the transfer of the deposit is valid, and the deposit now belongs legally to the plaintiff!"

The legal representative of Daoheng Bank frowned, but his lawyer gave him a look that indicated he shouldn't worry.

Sandy and Ye Dongsheng exchanged a smile; this was the first step towards victory!
(End of this chapter)