Right path to power

In the eyes of many, the Intermediate People's Court's reversal of the verdict was equivalent to Huang Chunning making a special trip, which had a real effect.

Executive Vice Mayor Cai Zili is not without his own methods.

This also proves that the city's structure is not monolithic.

As someone whom Cai Zili had personally promoted, Yang Songfeng also regarded this reversal of the verdict as a victory for himself.

This gave him the confidence to continue his showdown with Lin Xiao in Zhenxing District.

At this moment, the pent-up frustration that had been building up in my heart for so long was finally swept away, and a feeling of triumph welled up inside me.

"We also need to encourage them in the industrial park," Deng Guanglin said with a slight smile.

Yang Songfeng nodded: "The superficial work of rectification must be done properly, but they know exactly how to do it."

Deng Guanglin then suggested, "Zhang Changming is in charge of urban management and environmental protection, so we should give him more support."

Yang Songfeng wholeheartedly agreed.

Zhang Changming has a distant relative who is the director of the provincial party committee's organization department. He is usually very arrogant and hardly anyone can catch his eye.

Previously, Lin Xiao had carried out sweeping reforms in the areas under his jurisdiction, and Zhang Changming must have been harboring a lot of resentment for a long time.

With the second trial verdict now reversed and public opinion seemingly shifting, it's the perfect time to encourage him to come forward.

Soon, Yang Songfeng called Zhang Changming to his office, and the two had a long talk behind closed doors.

When Zhang Changming walked out of the office, he seemed to be ignited, his whole body brimming with fighting spirit.

Upon returning to his office, he immediately instructed his secretary to arrange a research trip to the Environmental Protection Bureau and the Industrial Park.

"Secretary, District Head Zhang suddenly came to the bureau for research. He first affirmed our previous work, and then put forward specific requirements for the next step of environmental rectification. He pointed out that there is a huge gap in investment attraction in the district, and all district leaders have taken on their assigned tasks. The Environmental Protection Bureau must adjust its pace around the central tasks. The rectification of enterprises in the industrial park must be carried out in a balanced manner..."

Environmental Protection Bureau Director Xu Wenbo looked grave. After Zhang Changming finished his investigation, he immediately came to report to Lin Xiao.

After a pause, he continued, "I also heard that at a symposium for companies in the industrial park, District Chief Zhang announced directly to a group of business owners that the district's environmental remediation work had come to an end, and that all companies should put down their burdens and resume production as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao felt a surge of anger.

When the district was making every effort to promote environmental protection and rectification work some time ago, Zhang Changming hid behind and didn't say a word.

Now they suddenly jump out, clearly because they saw the second trial verdict in Zhou Huayu's case was overturned, and thought the tide had turned, so they can't wait to steal the limelight and undermine the cause.

On the last day of March, the Legal Daily once again reported on the Zhou Huayu case.

The report focused on analyzing why the two verdicts differed so drastically, whether true equality before the law can be achieved, whether external factors interfered with the trial process, and even subtly hinted at the role played by the municipal and prefectural party committees and governments.

In addition, the report also mentioned that the reporter interviewed relevant officials from the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Municipal Intermediate People's Court by phone. Their statements seemed to have commonalities, but their views on the handling of the case revealed differences.

Of course, the entire report was aimed at the Intermediate People's Court: the second-instance judgment was suspected of influencing the sentencing standards due to the identity of the parties involved, and the lenient sentence lacked sufficient legal support.

When Huo Tianqiong, the president of the Intermediate People's Court, saw the report, he was filled with depression and a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.

He knew very well that if public opinion continued to ferment and major media outlets reprinted and discussed the matter, the impact of this incident would inevitably expand infinitely, and the consequences would be something he simply could not afford.

After much deliberation, he immediately sought out Cai Zili to discuss countermeasures.

Subsequently, Cai Zili immediately contacted his former leader Huang Chunning, hoping that Huang could use his connections at higher levels to coordinate and suppress public opinion.

Soon, Lin Xiao also received a call from Wang Yuanze, the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee.

"Lin Xiao, what exactly are your plans for this Zhou Huayu case? This constant entanglement and drain on everyone's energy is not a long-term solution."

Lin Xiao's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "Secretary, I don't want to continue this internal strife. The district court had already made a relatively reasonable first-instance judgment, but someone encouraged the parties to appeal, and the municipal intermediate court was influenced by various factors in the second instance, ultimately reversing the judgment."

The case has garnered widespread attention, and many are already itching to act. However, I believe that truth will become clearer through debate. The Legal Daily will continue to follow up and report on the case, and there is a possibility that it will be covered by CCTV's "Legal Perspectives," a highly influential legal affairs program in China. Many typical cases, once broadcast, quickly spread throughout the country.

Therefore, my idea is that the city should proactively conduct a comprehensive investigation into the case and take control of public opinion. Perhaps this case can even become a reference precedent for similar cases nationwide? Initially, the district court also made a mistake in the first instance, and the district procuratorate filed an appeal, and the district public security bureau supplemented new evidence, which brought the final judgment of the first instance back to the track of lawful trial.

Wang Yuanze pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "I understand. You're giving me a tough challenge. I believe the two municipal courts can handle this matter properly. You also need to focus more on the central tasks. We can't slack off on building the cadre team or developing the local economy. We need to produce tangible results as soon as possible."

Lin Xiao smiled slightly: "Please rest assured, Secretary, I am making every effort to promote it. I am currently preparing for a special investment promotion conference in Beicheng, which aims to attract investment from the supply and marketing cooperatives and agricultural input systems, and promote the locational advantages and preferential policies of our Zhenxing District."

"Very good. I look forward to you completing the investment promotion tasks you have been assigned as soon as possible and setting an example for all cadres in the city." Wang Yuanze's tone was full of praise.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Yuanze called Su Anji to his office and discussed the Zhou Huayu case with him.

He clearly stated that the entire city should not become a negative example nationwide; instead, it should strive to become a positive model for the rule of law. The Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission should proactively coordinate and promote the lawful handling of cases. The previous practices of Zhenxing District are commendable, and the procuratorate should fulfill its legal supervisory function in accordance with the law regarding controversial issues in the judgment.

Su Anji fully understood Wang Yuanze's intentions, and immediately discussed it with Song Sizhe, the chief prosecutor of the municipal procuratorate, after returning.

Soon, the Municipal Procuratorate launched legal supervision of Zhou Huayu's case, established a special working group, comprehensively reviewed the case files of the Intermediate People's Court in the second instance, and reviewed the entire trial process.

According to judicial procedures, although the municipal procuratorate does not have the right to directly appeal the final judgment of the second instance, it can examine the case file and fix the issues in the case. Once it is determined that the second instance judgment is indeed wrong, it has the right to issue a procuratorial suggestion for retrial to the municipal intermediate court, requesting the intermediate court to initiate the retrial procedure on its own.

If the intermediate court refuses to correct the situation, the municipal procuratorate will compile the materials and submit them to the provincial procuratorate, which will then initiate subsequent procedures in accordance with regulations.

When the news reached the Intermediate People's Court of the city, Huo Tianqiong was both shocked and annoyed.

He never expected that the municipal procuratorate would initiate a supervisory procedure, which was almost a replay of the first instance.

The key point is that the Legal Daily is also keeping a close eye on the situation, and it is said that there are plans to connect with CCTV's legal column and create typical cases in the next step.

Under these circumstances, Huo Tianqiong felt immense pressure, but Huang Chunning had yet to deliver any results from the coordination efforts.

He knew very well that once the municipal procuratorate reviewed and reported the problematic case file, and the provincial procuratorate initiated an appeal, the case would inevitably be sent back for retrial, and the second-instance judgment would most likely be lost.

Huo Tianqiong personally went to the Municipal Procuratorate and had a face-to-face meeting with Song Sizhe.

"Prosecutor Song, this case has attracted far too much public attention. Although our two courts have different responsibilities, we share the same goal of upholding the authority of the law and safeguarding the rule of law in the city. There is absolutely no need to complicate matters further."

Song Sizhe remained calm, but his tone was uncompromising: "Dean Huo, this case has a significant social impact. Secretary Wang asked us to strive to make it a positive national legal case, and we are simply fulfilling our duties according to the law. Based on the information we have gathered so far, the Zhenxing District Court's first-instance sentence was reasonable, and the Intermediate People's Court's second-instance judgment is indeed controversial. We will issue a review opinion and, depending on the circumstances, report it to the Provincial Court to apply for an appeal."

He paused for a moment, then added, "As the saying goes, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Don't you think that's true?"

Huo Tianqiong remained silent, perhaps because he couldn't find a reason to refute him, and could only leave the Municipal Procuratorate feeling frustrated.

Back in his office, he immediately called Cai Zili to explain the situation, frankly admitting that he could no longer withstand the pressure.

Cai Zili was furious after hearing this, and hung up the phone in a huff after saying only a few words.

Immediately afterwards, he reported to Huang Chunning.

Huang Chunning flew into a rage on the phone and immediately declared that he would fly to Beicheng right away to coordinate the matter in person.

He knew that the Municipal Procuratorate had already intervened in the investigation, and there was a high probability that a retrial would be initiated. He had to take the initiative to stabilize the situation and postpone the trial as much as possible, giving himself time and room to maneuver in Beicheng.