Chapter 782: Chapter 278: Brilliant Maneuver, Turning the Tides!_4
"And according to the ’Donation Act,’ donors have the right to know where their donation is going and to request that the recipient organization list the relevant details."
Immediately afterward, Qin Mu recited the provisions of the Donation Act by heart, shocking everyone present. Even the judge looked at Qin Mu incredulously, somewhat speechless. This act had only been introduced a few years ago to address the frequent disputes in the domestic donation sector, yet Qin Mu had memorized several of its clauses verbatim.
"No errors," the court clerk, responsible for taking notes, reported to the judge after looking at the computer screen displaying the recently searched legal text.
The judge took a deep look at Qin Mu, his mouth twitching slightly.
Just then, from the plaintiff’s side, George realized things were going south. He quickly stood up. "Your Honor, my side believes this matter is irrelevant to the case. We are not obligated to disclose the whereabouts of these donations."
Qin Mu’s performance had once again taken him by surprise, putting unexpected pressure on him. An intern lawyer had almost made him break out in a cold sweat.
"Your Honor, the whereabouts of these donations are closely related to my client’s understanding!" Qin Mu pressed on while the iron was hot. "The reason my client has delayed paying the donation is partly due to concerns about its unclear destination. Therefore, they wish to know the whereabouts of donations made by other elderly people."
"If the opposing party can prove the donations were indeed given to the church, my client might feel more at ease. Who knows," Qin Mu shrugged, giving George no opening, "perhaps in a better mood, they might decide to make this donation after all."
In the courtroom, the gray-haired judge nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Qin Mu. He stated, "Under the Donation Act, since the donor has requested it, you must disclose the whereabouts of these donations. Show them to Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua. This will alleviate their concerns and help conclude this lawsuit."
His goal was simple too: finish work early and conclude this civil lawsuit. Avoid court sessions whenever possible. The more civil lawsuits there were, the more it indicated poor living conditions for the city’s residents and reflected the incompetence of the judges. This would affect their performance evaluations and assessments.
At the plaintiff’s table, Xu Liming heard the judge’s words, and his scalp tingled. Donation disclosure? How could he dare hand them over? If he did, it would mean he was implicated in embezzling public funds! And these were the church’s funds! The next defendant... could very likely be him. Qin Mu’s move was like pulling the rug out from under him—extremely ruthless. A bloodless strike. It gave him no chance to react! He’d prepared for attacks from all sides, anticipated every angle, but he’d never seen this coming! Qin Mu had unexpectedly used the donations to pressure him through the judge. Under the court’s ruling, he had no choice but to disclose these financial details. But the problem was, the money had been divided up by him and hadn’t gone into the church’s accounts! Even if he wanted to fabricate evidence now, it was too late.
In the courtroom, the gray-haired judge banged the gavel. "This pretrial conference is now concluded," he announced. "The plaintiff is to disclose the destination of the funds within one day. Tomorrow, we will continue the pretrial conference to determine a resolution!"
After speaking, he stood up and left the pretrial chamber with the others, leaving both the plaintiff and defendant sides looking at each other.
On the plaintiff’s side, due to Qin Mu’s unexpected move, the mood was very low, their faces extremely grim.
On the defendant’s side, however, Chen Tiankuo’s expression was incredibly vivid. As he looked at Qin Mu, the disdain he previously held was gone, replaced by sheer excitement. Qin Mu’s maneuvers had completely dazzled him, trapping their opponent in a vortex and temporarily easing this urgent crisis. If the other side wished to pursue this donation, they would first have to alleviate Zhang Qingyuan’s "concerns" by disclosing the whereabouts of those other funds.
