‘What an idiot’: Gobbo admits informing on clients was dishonest
Nicola Gobbo has admitted she breached her obligations to her underworld clients and discredited her profession when she became Lawyer X.
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Turncoat barrister Nicola Gobbo has admitted she discredited her profession and breached her obligations to her underworld clients when she became a police informant.
The concessions came while Ms Gobbo, 51, was being cross-examined in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as part of her lawsuit against the State of Victoria over the Lawyer X saga.
Under questioning from Bernard Quinn KC, for the state, Ms Gobbo agreed informing on her clients was the “antithesis” of acting in their best interests.
“Would you agree informing on your clients was dishonest and discreditable to you as a barrister?” Mr Quinn asked Ms Gobbo.
“Yes,” she replied.
The court heard the former gangland lawyer turned to police because she faced immense pressure from drug boss Tony Mokbel to secure bail for his associate, known by the pseudonym Mr Bickley, in 2005.
“He was a very loud, difficult man,” she said.
“(I was) afraid of what he might do.”
But she admitted she could have gone to the Victorian Bar ethics committee or another lawyer seeking help rather than turning to police.
After she had a stroke and stopped working in 2004, Ms Gobbo said she should have “left and found another career completely”.
But she admitted she was interested in high-profile cases.
Justice Melinda Richards told Ms Gobbo she could ask for an indemnity certificate which would protect her from self-incrimination in her evidence.
On Monday, Ms Gobbo reflected on her decision to become an informant.
“I look back now and I think ‘what an idiot’ but it is what it is,” she said.
“I was really looking for help when it started and as time went on I kind of felt trapped, beholden to (police).
“I felt if I stepped away … I still needed to be on side … in order to make sure none of it came out.”
Ms Gobbo is suing the state for damages, alleging Victoria Police induced her into snitching on her clients and her safety was endangered after she was unmasked as Lawyer X.
The state is defending the lawsuit, claiming Ms Gobbo chose to become an informant with full appreciation of the risks involved.
Ms Gobbo has been giving evidence via video link from an undisclosed location, with her image visible only to the judge and lawyers as a security precaution.
The trial continues.
Originally published as ‘What an idiot’: Gobbo admits informing on clients was dishonest
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