Struggling for 23 Days—Freeing the Wronged from Prison
Lawyer Liao Ruibin from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm is a seasoned yet emerging professional in the criminal field, with extensive experience in handling criminal cases. During his practice, he has successfully achieved results such as non-arrest, non-prosecution, or acquittal for multiple criminal cases. 23 days ago, the family of a suspect involved in a major criminal case of alleged multiple robberies entrusted Lawyer Liao Ruibin to intervene and defend the client.
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On January 4, 2019, it was the 30th day of the client's detention. After 23 days of effort and advocacy by Lawyer Liao, the court adopted his defense opinion and issued a "Decision Not to Approve Arrest" before closing time. The client regained freedom that evening.
After介入 this case, Lawyer Liao found during meetings with the client that the case might involve a wrongful conviction. To gain a deeper understanding of the case, Lawyer Liao repeatedly went to the investigative agency to discuss the case details with the officer in charge, and communicated multiple times with the officer to clarify the case facts and sort out the case's context. The officer jokingly remarked, "I've never seen a lawyer as responsible as you." Subsequently, Lawyer Liao shuttled frequently between the police station and the detention center. After in-depth research and sorting out the logic, he ultimately drafted a "Legal Opinion on the Refusal of Approval for Arrest," with the main defense arguments being: "the client had no alibi or time to commit the crime," "the phone records between the client and co-defendants cannot prove the client knowingly assisted in the robbery," and "the client and co-defendants never discussed sharing the robbery proceeds, thus lacking criminal motive." This opinion was submitted to the court during the review-of-arrest stage.
In addition, to secure an opportunity for his client to personally state their case before the prosecutor, Lawyer Liao cleverly dealt with the detention center security guards. After directly engaging with the detention area supervisor and explaining the relevant legal provisions, the supervisor ultimately allowed the client to personally write a "Request for an Opportunity to Make a Statement to the Prosecutor in Person." Lawyer Liao then promptly communicated with and secured the chief prosecutor's agreement to interrogate the client, thereby obtaining a face-to-face meeting. As a result, the chief prosecutor arranged for a prosecutor to go to the detention center to interrogate the client the very next day, giving the client a valuable chance to present their case directly to the prosecutor.
Following a comprehensive review of the facts and evidence in the case, the prosecutor ultimately made a decision not to approve the arrest on the grounds of "unclear facts and insufficient evidence," allowing the client to return home and rest for the Chinese New Year. Lawyer Liao's persistent efforts and hard work across the New Year season culminated in a "first victory" of 2019. The greatest happiness in life is reuniting with family, and a lawyer's ability to free the wronged from confinement and restore their rightful freedom not only results from the pursuit of justice but also embodies the motto of Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm: "Dedication, Respect for Law, Wisdom and Courage, and Righteousness"!
