Chapter 162
The prosecutor asked with furrowed brows, “Mr Dupont, didn’t you say that you knew about the fund transactions but that you were coerced to perform those illegal transactions?”
Se
Dupont faked a smile and answered, “I said that I was coerced, yes. But I didn’t say I had been aware of the transactions.”
“So, what did you think you were coerced to do?”
“I was told to keep quiet about whatever the Duke was thinking of doing. But I didn’t know I’d be paid to be silent.”
“The document I’ve just placed before you shows the list of properties you acquired in the past eighteen years. Tell me, Mr Dupont, do you own them?”
“Yes.”
“How did you purchase them?”
“With money.”
“Money from your salary?”
“Well, that’s what I thought. It wasn’t until you sent the audits to my lawyers did I realize that part of what I spent may well be from the government.”
“And a percentage was transferred to a company, Wu Bi Corporation, why?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of the company. Perhaps it’s the missing Duke’s?”
“Do you have evidence that Greg Claw is the owner?”
“Well, no. It was simply a guess.”
“So, you’re saying that you never knew that you’ve been transferring funds to Wu Bi Corporation, and that you had been spending the government’s money?”
“Yes, I didn’t have a clue.” Dupont acted so well that Lucianne was even thinking of nominating him for an Oscar award. Xandar, on the other hand, wondered how many hours Dupont practised his act in front of the mirror before taking the stand.
The prosecutor’s eyebrows raised in disbelief as she questioned, “You truly believed that your salary was enough to acquire a stamp collection in the millions, and palatial mansions in the billions?”
account, so when I purchase a property and my card isn’t rejected, I assume that I have the necessary funds
hide her disgust for the witness. She composed herself, and asked, “Mr Dupont, how did
best of the best, la crème de la crème, you
one become the best of
requirements. Good education
‘good education’ that got you
he did. “Well, I was educated
is in Finance,
Dupont added
student in Finance, graduated from the top university of the
contrary, I find my habits to be most appropriate. With experience comes less
in a music school, is that
one in the Kingdom.” He glowed even
said, “And, unsurprisingly, the most expensive. Her tuition itself costs five hundred thousand dollars a year. Now, tell me, Mr Dupont, how did you afford it with the modest two hundred and forty
“Savings.”
“What savings?”
started saving since I was a boy. It’s a habit that
old are
and two
didn’t spend a single cent on living expenses, it still would have been impossible for you to own
did not realize that,
telephone records and transcripts between you and Helena Tanner regarding the transfer of government funds, what do you have to say
me. Whoever it was must have been hiding behind
traced the call
my phone to
it was your voice at the end of the call
voice-alteration device, I
answer me this, Mr Dupont. Why were these calls
don’t know. I’m not familiar with the latest
were channeled into your account; you didn’t know you couldn’t afford the stamp collections and mansions; you didn’t know your daughter’s music school would’ve forced you into bankruptcy; you didn’t know about the calls made between Helena Tanner and someone who sounded
coerced to
being given
offering any sort of compensation. And if
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