Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo is being sued by Faruk Orman over his wrongful murder conviction

Nicola Gobbo – aka Lawyer X – is being sued by a man over his wrongful murder conviction, as newly freed Tony Mokbel plans to follow suit.

Supergrass Nicola Gobbo – aka Lawyer X – is being personally sued by one of the men whose conviction was quashed because she breached her ethics by snitching on him.

Gobbo is now taking measures to protect herself from a massive damages claim after Faruk Orman launched civil legal proceedings against her over his wrongful conviction for murder.

But it is understood Gobbo’s assets could be near impossible to find because she lives under a pseudonym due to the perceived danger to her life.

A court hearing has been set down this week. The amount of damages being sought are unknown.

Gobbo, however, will be called as a witness.

Tony Mokbel leaves Melbourne Magistrates Court with his then lawyer, Nicola Gobbo.

One of Gobbo’s legal team told the Herald Sun: “She’s not too worried.” Gobbo has also subpoenaed witnesses linked to Orman in an attempt to defend her assets.

Orman was the first of the Lawyer X cases to walk free from jail after his murder conviction over the gangland hit on Victor Peirce in 2002 was overturned due to Gobbo’s interference with the key witness.

Tony Mokbel does his first check-in at Heidelberg Police station the day after getting out of prison on bail. Picture: David Crosling

Big wig Tony Mokbel, who enjoyed his first day of freedom after being released on bail on Friday because of Gobbo’s duplicity, will sue after his appeal against major drug convictions are finalised.

Mokbel has already had one of his drug convictions quashed. In 2020 the Appeal Court overturned his 2006 conviction for importing cocaine.

Gobbo, a barrister, represented him in that case despite being recruited as an informer by Victoria Police just months before the trial began.

Mokbel fled the trial and spent the next 15 months as a fugitive only to be captured in Greece.

On Friday, Appeal Court Justice Karin Emerton said in her ruling that Mokbel’s case to quash his remaining convictions was strong.

But he also has a strong case to claim millions of dollars against Victoria Police and Gobbo.

The 59-year-old, who has spent the past 18 years in prison, will almost certainly begin civil action at the conclusion of his appeal.

The Allan government capped Lawyer X claims to $1m last year.

Tony Mokbel leaves his house after being released on bail yesterday. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

But Mokbel could also demand compensation for the properties, luxury cars, shares and other assets confiscated under proceeds of crime laws.

Proceeds of crime specialists had restrained $56.5m from Mokbel and his associates by 2012 – the year he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A police forensic accountant found Mokbel, by 2001, had net assets of $15m and operated 39 bank accounts.

But to reclaim any confiscated assets, legal experts say Mokbel would have to prove he made his money legitimately under unexplained wealth laws.

Tony Mokbel visits his mothers grave in Fawkner Cemetery, after being released from the Victorian Appeal Court in Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

Gobbo claimed in one of her letters to police command that she had led them to Mokbel’s fortune.

Mokbel, while giving evidence in a court hearing last year, said that he continued to consult Gobbo even after he was warned she was an informer because he believed she was his friend.

In 2011, Gobbo received $2.88m from the state government after suing police over her dealings with them as a witness in a double murder case.

She is currently suing them again over her use as registered informer 3838.

Last year the Allan government capped Lawyer X claims at $1m.Mokbel’s appeal is likely to be fast tracked.

It will be heavily based on the findings of Justice Elizabeth Fullerton who determined the facts of the case and was scathing of Victoria Police’s conduct in their use of Gobbo.

Originally published as Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo is being sued by Faruk Orman over his wrongful murder conviction