Me! A disgraced celebrity! Starting by seeking justice for impoverished students.

As the presiding judge finished speaking, everyone in the room remained seated, and no one dared to utter a sound.

The panel of judges for this hearing was fully staffed and of extremely high caliber.

Seated in the center is Zhou Mingyuan, the presiding judge of this case and a senior judge of the Criminal Division of the Intermediate People's Court.

He has been engaged in criminal trial work for more than 20 years and has handled countless major and difficult cases.

This person is known in the industry for his rigorous and impartial approach to handling cases, and for his fairness and strictness!

Two judges, Li Song and Zhao Wenbin, were seated on either side of the presiding judge.

The three-judge panel jointly tried the case. With live streaming equipment in various locations, the trial was made open and transparent throughout, eliminating any possibility of bias or favoritism!

The pressure from public opinion on this case is immense.

In other words, any case that Jiang Chen is involved in brings considerable public pressure!

Judge Zhou Mingyuan's gaze was steady as he swept over everyone present before slowly speaking.

"Now, begin verifying the defendant's identity!"

His voice was particularly serious, devoid of any emotion.

In accordance with the court proceedings, Zhou Mingyuan summoned all the defendants in the dock in turn to verify their information one by one.

"Defendant Gao Jianming, state your name, age, registered address, and whether you have been subject to any criminal or administrative penalties in the past."

Upon hearing his name, Gao Jianming's body trembled slightly.

When he looked up, his face was pale, and his voice was dry and hoarse; he had long lost the aura of a former CEO.

"I...I am Gao Jianming, I am 49 years old, a local resident, and have no prior criminal record."

His voice was weak and feeble, and he dared not look up at the judge's bench.

Throughout the entire answer, he kept his head down, looking extremely embarrassed.

The presiding judge took notes one by one, and then continued to summon people.

"Defendant Wang Hao."

This person is the operations manager of Anze Nursing Home and a core member of the management team under Gao Jianming.

He was involved in the entire process of formulating hospital rules, scheduling personnel, and sealing off the mess afterward.

Wang Hao was tense all over, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He quickly gave his name, age, and address, confirming that he had no prior criminal record.

Immediately afterwards, the presiding judge summoned the remaining defendants in turn.

"The defendant is Lü Qian."

This is one of the two caregivers who are responsible for administering sedative medication to elderly patients.

"The defendant is Zhang Ting."

This is another caregiver involved in administering medication and carrying out daily management.

"Defendant Liu Jun."

As for this person, he was a professional driver who was responsible for driving private cars late at night and abandoning critically ill elderly people.

The four responded in turn, truthfully reporting their personal information and confirming that they had no prior criminal record.

None of them had a prior criminal record.

This means that this group of people, who may have appeared respectable and law-abiding in the past, actually harbored many heinous crimes!

Even more egregious are repeat offenders with prior convictions!

All identities have been verified, confirming that the individuals present in court are completely consistent with the information in the case file, and no one was absent.

Zhou Mingyuan once again looked directly at the audience and began to speak.

"The entire trial of this case was conducted in open court in accordance with the law, and all parties involved enjoyed the following litigation rights in accordance with the law."

"First, all parties have the right to request the recusal of the members of the collegial panel, the court clerk, and the prosecutor appearing in court in this case."

"Second, each party has the right to submit new evidence, request witnesses to appear in court, request professional experts to appear in court, and request re-evaluation and re-examination."

"Third, the defendant has the right to defend himself and to make his own defense in court."

Fourth, after the conclusion of the court debate, each defendant has the right to make a final statement.

"..."

Zhou Mingyuan's words were clear and precise, ensuring the absolute fairness and compliance of the court proceedings.

At the same time, it leaves no room for others to find fault.

After the reading was completed, the presiding judge asked in a deep voice.

"Have all parties clearly understood the above legal rights?"

Both the prosecution and the defense, as well as the defendant, nodded in agreement.

Listen carefully.

The presiding judge then conducted an in-court inquiry.

"Do any of the parties involved request the recusal of the judges, court clerks, or prosecutors appearing in court in this case?"

The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

The application for recusal is the first procedural hurdle in the trial. Anyone with a conflict of interest or personal relationship must submit it in court.

Otherwise, they will have no right to question the fairness of the trial on this basis in the future.

The first to respond were the prosecutors who appeared in court. Both of them sat up straight and said in a solemn tone: "The prosecutors have no application for recusal."

Immediately afterwards, in the victim's legal representative's seat, Jiang Chen nodded slightly: "The victim's representative has no request for recusal."

The evidence in this case is irrefutable, and the trial was conducted in a fair and rigorous manner.

There is no bias or vested interest involved, and there is absolutely no need to avoid it.

Finally, the judge's gaze fell upon the defendant's dock and the defense's dock.

Fu Chengyu raised his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment.

He knew perfectly well that the entire case was being broadcast live, and that the panel of judges was randomly assigned with no connection or loopholes.

Applying for recusal will only be futile and a waste of court time.

Fu Chengyu sighed and said in court, "The defense counsel has no application for recusal."

Subsequently, Gao Jianming and the other four defendants responded in hushed tones: "No recusal application."

At this point, all pre-trial procedures have been completed.

Judge Zhou Mingyuan, with a solemn expression, picked up the gavel and brought it down heavily.

Boom!

"No party filed a recusal application, the court proceedings were legal and valid, and the case will continue to be heard, entering the court investigation stage."

"The prosecutor will read the indictment!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two prosecutors in the prosecution dock sat up straight, and one of them stood up holding the official indictment and read it aloud in court.

"Criminal Indictment from the Xuzhou Municipal People's Procuratorate"

"The case of defendants Gao Jianming, Wang Hao, Lü Qian, Zhang Ting, and Liu Jun, who are suspected of intentional homicide, fraud, illegal business operations, use of prohibited drugs, and corporate crime, has been investigated and verified by this court in accordance with the law."

"Since three years ago, the defendant Gao Jianming, relying on the Anze Nursing Home which he actually controlled, led and planned a complete black industrial chain in order to obtain illegal profits. He systematically and intentionally harmed elderly people who were old, seriously ill and disabled and had prepaid high nursing fees for many years at once."

"The defendants purchased sedative drugs without batch numbers or qualifications in private and arranged for caregivers Lü Qian and Zhang Ting to feed them to the target elderly people over a long period of time, which continuously eroded the elderly people's physical functions and deliberately accelerated their physical decline."

Upon hearing this, the two caregivers turned pale.

Their actions have long been thoroughly investigated.

Now, my heart is filled with regret.

However... their regret stemmed not from knowing they were wrong, but from knowing they were going to jail.

"During the critical illness of the elderly, the nursing home deliberately delayed treatment and provided passive care, allowing the critical condition to continue to deteriorate."

"After the elderly person completely lost their ability to care for themselves, Wang Hao, a member of the management team, coordinated the process, and driver Liu Jun drove the nursing home's vehicle late at night to abandon the critically ill elderly person in a deserted suburb, taking advantage of the harsh environment to let the elderly person die, thus completely covering up any signs of a deliberate crime!"