Chapter 18 — Profile 9:17

The appeal trial of the case "Dinh Phat Group and violations in investment management" reopened in a suffocating atmosphere. Unlike the first instance trial where Do Trong Thang stood alone in front of the dock, this trial was a parade of expensive suits and high-end leather briefcases. Shell companies in Singapore and Switzerland, the extended arms of the overseas "Council", have hired the most powerful team of international lawyers in Asia to participate in the trial as "persons with related rights and obligations".

The goal of this team of lawyers is very clear: Disable the legality of digital evidence collected from the server hidden under the Bien Hoa steel foundry, thereby asking the Court to cancel the blockade order on assets worth tens of thousands of billions of dong held by C03.

Sitting in the row representing the victim's family, Le Nhu Van felt a terrible pressure on her chest. On the other side of the battle line, the chief lawyer of the "Council" side - a British legal expert with decades of experience defending transnational economic cases - is using the ultimate art of sophistry to circumvent each argument of the Procuracy.

"Dear Jury," the British lawyer raised his voice, his demeanor poised and full of confidence. "Our clients are legal investment funds, operating in strict compliance with international law. The investigation agency used a set of data extracted from a server of unknown origin, abandoned in a scrapyard, without any chain of custody mechanism as evidence of freezing my client's assets. Can anyone guarantee that those files have not been tampered with, edited, or even implanted by a party?" Third, is there a motive for profiteering?"

The whole courtroom was in an uproar. The defense attorney's argument hits on the critical weakness of digital evidence: Integrity. Although Do Trong Thang's server contained vital information, it was collected in a chaotic situation, without the initial witness of the cybersecurity agency.

The representative of the Procuracy, a veteran prosecutor, stood up to object but was clearly overwhelmed by the numerous references to international law and international legal precedents given by the lawyers.

"If the Procuracy cannot prove the originality of the server and the direct connection between my client's cash flows and illegal activities in Vietnam, we request the Court to order the immediate release of all bank accounts and related real estate," the chief lawyer emphasized each word, his sharp eyes glancing at Le Nhu Van.

The situation is extremely dangerous. If the Court accepts the appeal, tens of thousands of billions of dong will fly out of Vietnam's borders in just a moment, slipping into tax havens that no one can touch. The "Council" will restore its strength, and with the death of her father, C03's tireless efforts will go to waste.

During the 15-minute break, Van quickly went to the hallway, grabbed cold water and washed her face to keep her mind alert. Hoang Minh walked next to her and gave her a bottle of water stream, his face could not hide his pessimism.

"These international lawyers are too tough," Minh sighed. "Cross-border economic law has too many loopholes. If we do not have a living witness, a person directly involved in the process of operating that cash flow to confirm the authenticity of the data on the server, the Court will have to judge on the principle of presumption of innocence for foreign legal entities."

"Living witnesses?" Van mumbled. Dang Tuan died mysteriously in detention before the first instance trial took place. Do Trong Thang is going crazy in prison, his statements are no longer legally valid. Who can testify?

Suddenly, Van stopped. She took out a small black USB from her bag, the USB was tucked into the bouquet of forget-me-nots that she received on the day the Scholarship Fund was established.

"The sky is not yet clear..." Van repeated Trinh Vu's letter. He sent this USB not just as a warning. Trinh Vu has never done anything without a purpose. He is an eminent legal expert, he knows how the evidence from the Bien Hoa server will be torn apart by international lawyers at the appeal hearing.

Van plugged the USB into Minh's laptop and reopened the text file. She pressed the key combination to show hidden characters. Sure enough, behind the dot that ended the letter, there was a tiny piece of code hidden in white text that matched the background color. It's an internal IP address and a military-grade encrypted P2P (Peer-to-peer) connection protocol.

"Mr. Minh! Help me establish a connection to this IP address immediately!" Van screamed, her heart rate skyrocketed.

The trial reopened. The Presiding Judge knocked the gavel to request order to stabilize, preparing to enter the sentencing portion. The British lawyer stood with his arms crossed, his face already showing a triumphant expression.

"Before the Trial Council makes the final decision, does the representative of the Procuracy have any additional comments?" The chairman asked according to procedure.

The prosecutor glanced at Van. Van nodded slightly, pushed the laptop onto the table, and connected it directly to the Court's central projector system.

"Dear Jury," Van stood up, her voice echoing throughout the courtroom. "We have a new witness who can directly confirm the authenticity of all financial transactions involving shell companies in Singapore and Switzerland. Since the witness is abroad and has his life threatened, we request permission to conduct testimony via encrypted online videoconference."

The British lawyer immediately stood up and protested: "Objection! This is a serious violation of procedural law! An anonymous, unannounced witness appearing at the last minute cannot be accepted!"

"This witness did not hide his face," Van replied loudly, his finger pressing the Enter key on the keyboard. "And his appearance will certainly surprise these lawyers."

The giant projector screen in the middle of the courtroom suddenly flashed. A small dark room, seemingly a basement shelter somewhere far away, appeared. Sitting in front of the camera lens is a man wearing a black turtleneck sweater, his face is visibly thinner but his eyes are still sharp like a hawk.

The whole courtroom gasped in surprise. Murmurs rang out in the air stop.

It's Attorney Trinh Vu!

The man who has disappeared without a trace for the past six months, the most important pawn of the "Council" in the overthrow of Do Trong Thang, now suddenly appears as a witness of the Procuracy. The British lawyer turned pale and stammered speechless. He knew clearly who Trinh Vu was, and he knew even more clearly what terrible secrets Vu held.

"Dear Jury," Vu's deep voice rang out through the speaker system, clearly and without trembling. "I am Trinh Vu, former Legal Advisor of the Restructuring Steering Committee, and also used to be the coordinator of the underground cash flow for the organization called 'Council'. I stand here to testify that all data on the Bien Hoa server is completely accurate. I am the person who set up the shell companies in Singapore, and I have in my hand all the original records (hard copies) with the living signatures of the puppet directors set up by the 'Council', proving the amount of money. Tens of thousands of billions are being blocked due to corruption and appropriation of Vietnamese state assets."

A real atomic bomb had just been dropped in the courtroom. Defense lawyers frantically flipped through piles of documents, unable to find any plan to fend off the betrayal of the very person who designed their system.

The presiding judge asked in a serious voice: "Mr. Trinh Vu, do you know that these statements mean that you are confessing to your particularly serious crimes, and will face a very heavy sentence if extradited to Vietnam?"

Vu smiled, a rare smile of serenity and relief. Through the screen, his eyes found Le Nhu Van's position. "Your Honor, I know very well. Ten years ago, I started down this path with the belief that to bring down a corrupt system, I had to become a part of it, be more evil and crueler than it. But I was wrong. Violence and lies only give birth to new monsters."

He stopped and looked straight into Van's eyes. "Ms. Le Nhu Van taught me a lesson about courage. That true justice cannot be built by dirty tricks in the dark. It must be reclaimed with clarity, by daring to face the truth, even if that truth burns you. My testimony today is to atone for my mistakes, and to ensure that dirty money is never allowed to flow out of this country."

Tears circled the corners of Van's eyes. She looked at the man on the screen, and all the hatred and suspicion she had felt for many months suddenly disappeared. Trinh Vu is not a cold-blooded and heartless person. He was just a wanderer lost in his own extremist ideology, and in the end, he chose to commit legal and social suicide to protect the justice he once craved.

Trinh Vu's appearance shattered all attempts at sophistry by the international bar association. The High People's Court officially rejected all appeals, upheld the first instance verdict, and issued a decision to permanently confiscate tens of thousands of billions of dong in assets. Victory completely belonged to those who did not give up hope.

The trial ended. The online TV screen flickered and the connection signal was suddenly interrupted suddenly. Trinh Vu once again disappeared into the underworld, but this time, he was no longer a ghost of the "Council", but a traitor who was being hunted most intensely around the globe.

Van hugged her laptop tightly in her arms and walked out of the courthouse door. The sky in Saigon was really clear. The wind caressed her hair, bringing with it a new and pure vitality.

"A lesson in courage," Van thought to herself. "Thank you, lawyer Trinh Vu. No matter where you are, stay alive."