...It wasn’t much of a business party, although all
the members of the law firm Burnswick and
Burnswick had gathered for one. The Scapegoat
case had not yet drowned out, and the lawyers had more of a conference,
than a recreational party. Sundays were not anymore Sundays.
The primary litigation papers didn’t even give an insch
of a taste of a case, than would prolong for more than eight months. It talked
of a massive Zucculini company, native to Italy, which had an important outlet
in the outskirts of Seville. Although being a multi-national chemical company
for ship equipments since 1998, it now possessed a tarnished impression.
It was the summer of May 2012, when the city rumours
gained momentum. There had been too many reports of the firm disposing
untreated toxic waste in the Mallorca River. But the 21st of May
created a major outburst, as the city had its first cancer death. To make
matters worse, the victim was the head of the parish- the Honourable Mattia Bernardo.
As the weeks flew by, the death toll raised to
fifty. Rumours heated up, accusations towards Zucculini grew severe. At last,
under Justice Dominique Brommel, the case was taken to Burnswick and Burnswick’s attorney of lawyers. It was then
forwarded to the Supreme Court.
Justice Brommel, the prosecutor , was an idle city
lawyer a year ago. He was now the country’s sensational man in black. Although
the entire Seville was at his knees, begging for victory, the young,
auburn-haired man felt that all odds were against him. The country had
experienced tons of cases, where victory went against the victim, and Brommel
didn’t want this case to stack up with others, in the history books.
Carson Harrington, 26 criminal records, 5 unknown,
sat with an Egyptian cigar, on his seat, in the office of Zucculini Inc.
Although the firm had the name of his brother, Nathaniel Zucculini, he had
willed it to Carson, after his accidental death by tripping over the bridge in
drunken conscience (his body was never found). Carson looked like any other
white, but his records behaved like a perfect villain. Villainy was uncommon to
him, but his firm had slipped away two previous cases, by ‘donations’ to the
District Court. But this was not all fun and games. Their defence lawyer was a
tough nut, but the whole country was against him.
Justice Marcel Carreras, who had already managed
eighteen lawsuits, two for Zucculini, was having a hard time consoling Carson
the ifs and buts of defending a firm. Burnswick
and Burnswick was known for its adept verdicts, and it was head to toes
invincibility from its part.
...The conference carried the motion of the same
case, and the head justice, Hon’able Mr. Mirkle, weighed the load on his head.
He had experienced ten district cases, before being promoted to the Supreme
Court for the running motion. Ten days to go for the final verdict, and the
‘conference’ proved to be an essential gathering of B&B experts. Fourteen lawsuits had been filed, and the
fifteenth would be the decisive one. It would either be the end of, or the
escape of Zucculini Chemicals.
There were no eyewitnesses to Zucculini’s discharge
of contaminants, but there were five evidences in human. Witnesses look great
on paper, but the courtroom is the real test. Rebellion against a
multi-national company is not at all like King Arthur fighting with an
Excalibur.
...Five days drifted past the building of Carson,
and the nerves began to twitch profusely. He had appealed twice in the court,
but to no avail.
...The courtroom filled in an hour. An ovation was given
to Hon’able Head Justice Mirkle. The accused Carson and his right-hand arrived
at last, only to be showered by agitating glances by the public. At the
prosecution’s desk sat Justice Brommel, against defence lawyer Carreras.
Brommel revised the facts and facets of the famously
called Scapegoat case, rightly named
so, for the chemical company made people its scapegoats, and listed the victim
count, the witness count and the proof count. He began the interrogation by
questioning the judge –
“So Your Honour, don’t these aspects make Mr.
Harrington and his firm more accountable?”
“The defence lawyer may now speak in repellence,”
the Judge replied. The accused firm began their account with Carreras.
“Thanks Your Honour. Being a part of Zucculini
Chemicals’ every research plan, the lawyer would like to impose the motion of
moderated interrogation, in its defence. To begin with, Zucculini Inc. has
never disposed off its chemicals untreated in the sea, and the prosecutor
doesn’t have any eyewitnesses to account against this statement”
“Eyewitnesses haven’t always been the base of any
case, Your Honour,” Brommel countered, and continued, “in view of the victims
after April 2012, all of the sixty-two victims have died of prostate cancer,
and in 43 of them, large traces of methyl azide have been found. According to
formal research, methyl azide is the
same chemical that is used for emulsifying ship oil, in the accused firm.”
A round of applause followed this major statement.
“Objection, Your Honour,” the court ran silent, “the
accused would like to question the so-called victims- being a coastal city,
Seville is likely to experience oil spills in seas, and, as earlier accounted
by Justice Brommel, emulsifiers in ship oil seep to the ground at a much rapid
rate, than oil itself.” Justice Carreras’ shoot-back took a long time to be
digested.
Some gossiping in the crowd.
“Avoiding the drift of the topic,” Brommel carried
on, “the area around ZC is the worst affected. Deaths are prominent. I accuse
Mr. Harrington of cutting off the safety measures, only to reduce costs.”
“Reduce costs?” Harrington shouted out.
“Objection overruled. Mr. Harrington, to the witness
box.”
“My apologies for the impertinence.” Harrington came
to the witness box, “Reduce costs? How can a man with cumulative property deals
of 100 million € cut costs?”
“Doesn’t the owner of ZC spend ninety per cent of
his income in art auctions and football teams? Yes, Mr. Harrington, this has
come out of one of your greater associates, or, to be precise, from one under
whom you were a greater associate.”
“How come...”
“Objection overruled. The Judge asks the prosecutor
to present the witness before Him.”
“Presenting you the showdown, Your Honour – Mr.
Nathaniel Zucculini...”
When the name was announced in the courtroom, the
atmosphere had to suffer a massive transition, from suspense to shock, from
thrill to tension. All eyes followed Brommel’s index, and landed on a gaunt
man, who now had appeared from the crowds.
“Brother?” Harrington stood dead shocked, “you...
you weren’t dead all along?”
The new discovery arrived at the witness box – “Are
you the same Carson with whom I had signed the Power of Attorney? Is this the
same Carson, who had officially pledged to be the chief director of the
company, only for the good of its clients? Is this the same Carson, who had
withheld with my name for the company, so that it reminds him of his brother? I
very much doubt it.”
The total hearing range of population in the court
rose to a cent times.
“All along, I’ve kept you as my son, Carson. I knew
you had bitter ambitions, but I tried to conceal them, from your side. But when
I first realised your actual motive of taking over this company, just for the
sake of better profits, I badly felt the need of detaching the laws of brotherhood.
I met Justice Brommel at the right time. We hushed up the accident; all eye
-witnesses to the event - there were five of them - were our men. There was no
drunken man and no tripping over the bridge. This mere tomfoolery was my plot,
to actually realise your way of achieving up to your intentions. And when
Seville starved out, I couldn’t hold on to my guilt; the guilt of being a
murderer’s brother. I’ve blurted out all that was possible from the side of a
helpless brother. You’ve killed a city, Carson. It is sheer manliness, which
has dragged me to this court.”
No one cared to break the prolonged silence that
followed. As the rock-solid defence was about to break itself up, Justice
Brommel exclaimed –
“Isn’t it enough, Your Honour, to end the case
here?”
After a deep breath, the Judge said, “having gone
through all accusations and defence statements, the Supreme Court of Spain
awards the penalty of life imprisonment to Carson Harrington and his
associates, and orders the closure of Zucculini Chemicals, Seville.” The hammer
shot out.
Ten years later, in the newly-renovated parish,
candles can be seen lit with tears of bittersweet emotions, recalling the
advent of better days. Some felt that Harrington deserved a worse retribution,
yet, he proved himself to be a reflection of the felling of mankind...
