CHAPTER 261: CHAPTER 148 GENG JINGLU: HURRY UP AND INVITE ZHANG WEI! _2

And as for himself...

Before becoming the General Manager of the Legal Department, he had already figured out his escape route. Even if problems arose, the worst he would face were some administrative penalties. Criminal liability had nothing to do with him.

This was the confidence of a legal professional!

"Besides that, there’s also the crime of misappropriating public funds. This refers to using one’s position to divert public funds for personal use, engage in unlawful activities, or misappropriate a substantial amount of public funds for profit-making activities..." Chen Ming finished speaking.

He then glanced at Geng Jinglu again.

For banks, operating with depositors’ money within legal boundaries is permissible. This is an inherent function of such financial institutions. However, if these funds are used illegally, it constitutes this crime. The sentence for such an offense is by no means light.

"There’s also the crime of possessing a large amount of property from unexplained sources. This applies when one’s property is substantial, but its origin cannot be clearly explained..." Chen Ming finished.

He inadvertently glanced at Geng Jinglu once more.

He felt that every crime he mentioned was inextricably linked to Geng Jinglu.

"Why do you keep looking at me while you’re explaining the risks?" Geng Jinglu finally snapped, unable to stop himself from glaring back.

Chen Ming coughed lightly and continued to explain the numerous legal risks. Everyone present was in middle to senior management, and each faced the potential crisis of breaking the law and imprisonment. Therefore, Chen Ming didn’t hold anything back. He detailed how certain actions could violate criminal law, civil law, and financial law.

In total, he spoke for an hour, covering more than a dozen illegal and irregular activities. Behind each, severe cases escalated to the level of criminal offenses.

In the conference room, after listening, everyone fell silent, heads bowed, without uttering a word.

Among them, Geng Jinglu’s state was the most unsettling. His expression shifted constantly, his emotions a complex mix of apprehension, fear, terror, and bitter resentment...

Of course, the dominant emotion was regret.

In the past, similar incidents had occurred at their bank, but they had always managed to muddle through. This time, however, they had encountered Qin Mu, this troublemaker. And, as fate would have it, he had deposited his money in their bank. If they had known such consequences would follow, they would never have dared to touch Qin Mu’s money!

「At the nursing home.」

Two days after the investigation began, Qin Mu was still patiently awaiting the results from the Financial Regulatory Authority. Meanwhile, Song Tiancheng and the other elderly residents who had provided information for the report were growing restless.

"Xiao Qin, when can we expect the results? I’m building a house, and I still can’t withdraw my money."

"Why could you get your money out so quickly? We only have a few tens of thousands, and there’s still no news after two days!"

"These private banks are just too corrupt! Once I get my money back, I swear I’ll never deposit with them again!"

"Xiao Qin, give us your professional analysis. Will they be sentenced? And for how long? Can we go and watch the trial?"

Song Tiancheng and the others pestered him daily, impatient to know if the culprits would be sentenced.

Regarding this, Qin Mu could only offer a few words of comfort and urge them to be patient. As for whether there would be a sentence, that depended on the findings of the special investigation team. If enough issues were uncovered, the team would contact the procuratorate to initiate public prosecution. They were likely still in the evidence-gathering stage. Since this was a special economic and financial case, it was unlikely to have a public trial; instead, the verdict would probably be announced after the hearing.

"It won’t be public?" Song Tiancheng and the others’ anticipation vanished instantly. They all looked somewhat dejected.

This verdict would undoubtedly be a cause for celebration, with countless people applauding. It was just a pity they wouldn’t be able to attend as observers.

Qin Mu smiled and said, "Even if it were public, it would be difficult for you to attend as observers. This case involves many people, and their families must be given priority. There wouldn’t be any seats left for you in the public gallery."

Although court regulations stipulate that public hearings can be observed by the public, the seats in the gallery are primarily allocated to the plaintiffs, defendants, their immediate family members, other relatives, and personnel related to the case. His previous cases were either directly related to him or the nursing home, so Old Zhang and the others were naturally given priority.

"Alright, just be patient. You should be able to transfer your money out soon," Qin Mu comforted them again afterward.

The special investigation team was currently investigating the irregularities in transfers and withdrawals. The bank would surely try every means possible to cover the shortfall. Their illegal activities primarily constituted economic crimes. A distinctive feature of economic crimes is that a willingness to cover the shortfall and compensate for economic losses can lead to a reduced sentence. Legally, it’s stipulated that an inability to pay compensation cannot be grounds for increasing a penalty, while making amends for losses can lead to a lighter one.

Therefore, he thought, the best course of action for Geng Jinglu and the others now was to find ways to rectify the series of problems caused by the funding gap and clean up their mess.

「At a private bank. President’s office.」

"I’ve repaid everything I should... How much can my sentence be reduced now?" Geng Jinglu asked Chen Ming earnestly, looking at him for an answer.

At that moment, more than a dozen white hairs had appeared on his head. His face was etched with hardship and exhaustion. In just a few short days, he seemed to have aged a decade. Ever since listening to Chen Ming’s explanation of the legal risks, he had begun using his personal assets to cover the various previous deficits, trying his utmost to compensate for the losses caused by his personal actions.

Because only then could his potential sentence, which was close to life imprisonment, be steadily reduced...