In a fraud case handled by Attorney Zhang Xiaofeng, he became involved in the case during the prosecution review stage in 2020. After multiple meetings with the defendant and reviewing the case files, Attorney Zhang Xiaofeng found that the evidence to establish the defendant's guilt for fraud was clearly insufficient. However, in 2021, the original first-instance judgment found the defendant guilty of fraud and sentenced him to twelve years' imprisonment.
Following the first-instance judgment, the defendant and Attorney Zhang maintained their position that the case should be deemed not guilty and filed an appeal. After reorganizing the evidence and engaging in multiple communications with the appellate court, the Intermediate Court noted the serious issues of unclear facts and insufficient evidence in the case, and in 2022, it ruled to overturn the original judgment and remand the case for retrial. During the retrial at the first instance, Attorney Zhang Xiaofeng continued to emphasize the issues with the evidence in the case. Finally, in 2023, the retrial at the first instance achieved preliminary defense results, with the retrial at the first instance ruling the defendant not guilty, bringing a glimmer of hope to the case.
After the retrial at the first instance resulted in an acquittal, the prosecution filed an appeal, and the case entered the retrial at the second instance, once again leaving the outcome uncertain. However, this time, both the parties involved and Attorney Zhang were confident, awaiting the final outcome. Finally, in 2025, the retrial court at the second instance ruled to dismiss the appeal and uphold the original judgment, confirming the defendant's innocence.
After five years and four trials, the defense successfully upheld the innocence of the defendant. Following the appellate court's ruling confirming innocence, the case was finally resolved, and the conclusion of innocence was thoroughly affirmed. The appellate court's ruling provided a detailed analysis of whether the case constituted a crime, and the defense counsel's arguments were fully acknowledged, with nearly all defense opinions being adopted.
Criminal defense is a protracted battle, and an acquittal is never easily obtained. Over the past five years, this case has undergone multiple reversals. The defense counsel refined and strengthened their arguments with each submission, ultimately forming a rigorous and well-reasoned case that the court could not ignore, highlighting the evidentiary and causal issues present in the case. Behind every acquittal case, besides the lawyer's efforts, there is also the trust of the defendant and the accurate application of the law by the judicial authorities. This weighty acquittal judgment, after four reviews by two levels of courts, truly ensures that the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case and that the outcome of criminal cases withstands the test of time and history.
