Australian taxpayers paid legal aid costs for drug cartel kingpin James Kinch

TAXPAYERS paid for convicted criminal and drugs cartel mastermind James Kinch’s legal fees despite his hidden wealth. He is not even an Australian citizen.

James Henry Kinch at Bangkok Criminal Court where he is fighting extradition to Australia, where he is charged with conspiring to import pseudo-ephidrine into Australia in 2008.

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TAXPAYERS footed the bill for convicted criminal and drugs cartel mastermind James Kinch’s expensive legal fees despite his hidden wealth and him not even being an Australian citizen.

The legal fraternity has been stunned by the offer of legal aid to a foreign national with no ties to Australia except for his multiple multi-tonne shipment of drugs and extensive money laundering.

The 57-year-old dual Irish-English national was effectively the Netherlands-based Haklander Cartel’s banker, laundering millions of dollars of cash through corrupt exchanges in Sydney and Melbourne, running laundering operations in Dubai as well as paying expenses and costs of cartel members everywhere.

At one stage he had set up his apartment in The Toaster on Circular Quay overlooking the Harbour Bridge into a virtual bank, complete with a cash counting machine and taking suitcases of cash up to $1.7 million at a time.

Kinch was on Thursday revealed as one of the masterminds of the cartel. He had seduced the then NSW Crime Commission assistant director Mark Standen to join him in a conspiracy bringing drugs to Australia. Kinch was an informant and Standen had been his handler.

James Henry Kinch at Bangkok Criminal Court where he unsuccessfully fought extradition to Australia, where he is charged with four charges related to conspiring to import a commercial quantity of drugs or precursors and money laundering. Picture: Supplied

Despite his arrest and the seizure of his properties and cash totalling more than $2 million, Kinch claimed he was broke and the courts agreed ordering Legal Aid services to provide not one but three barristers and other staff to fight charges against him. He he eventually pleaded guilty despite four years of costs and legal stalling and wrangling on his part.

“It is absolutely ridiculous and no one can work out how he did it,” one legal source told News Corp Australia.

“He is not an Australian citizen, $2 million was restrained by police, property in Portugal and cash but he was eligible to draw legal aid.”

AFP mugshot of drug cartel leader James (Jimmy) Kinch. Picture: Supplied

The ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards) tattoo on the hand of Jimmy Kinch. Picture: Supplied

The Australian Federal Police declined to comment but confirmed detectives on the cases suspected he had considerable wealth and property still hidden which they either had not found or could not attribute to his criminal ways.

A spokesperson for Legal Aid said it was not possible to comment on individual cases.

Under Proceeds of Crime legislation, the cost of any legal aid defence can be recovered from assets seized by authorities. Foreign nationals are also entitled to legal aid if they face charges in Australia.