Gangland legal scandal: Tony Mokbel hopes to walk free within four years
Drug lord Tony Mokbel hopes to walk out of prison within four years thanks to what will be exposed as one of the biggest scandals in Victoria’s legal history.
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EXCLUSIVE: Drug lord Tony Mokbel is hoping to walk out of prison within four years thanks to what will next week be exposed as one of the biggest scandals in Victoria’s legal history.
The Herald Sun revealed on Friday that dozens of criminals will soon claim that their convictions were tainted by systemic police misconduct during and after Melbourne’s gangland war.
It is expected that a major development early next week will finally reveal the full extent of the scandal.
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The Herald Sun has followed the matter for years, but has been prevented from revealing full details of what occurred.
It can be reported that Mokbel, who in 2012 was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison over a series of drug importation and trafficking charges, has been watching developments for some time.
A bewigged Mokbel was arrested in Athens, Greece, in June 2007, 15 months after fleeing Melbourne while on bail during a trial on cocaine importation charges.
The drug lord has long suspected that his convictions were compromised by what has been described by high-ranking police as a scheme so unethical that it “distorted trials” and compelled state witnesses and some officers to perjure themselves.
Senior police privately believe that Mokbel’s hopes of an early release may have merit.
But senior police point out that Mokbel did plead guilty to very serious crimes. They also say he could be charged with other crimes that were struck out or withdrawn under the complex 2011 plea deal.
The Herald Sun revealed on Friday that a special court was expected to be set up to deal with a deluge of appeals from criminals, including several high-profile figures, as a result of police misconduct during Melbourne’s gangland war and beyond.
The systemic wrongdoing, which was sanctioned at the highest levels in the force and which some officers feared was endangering lives, is due to be detailed when the scandal erupts next week.
Major investigations from 1999 to 2014, and convictions resulting from them, could be affected. It is believed criminals serving time as a result of convictions during this period are hoping that the scandal will result in their sentences being reduced or overturned.
There has also been talk of compensation claims in the millions of dollars.
A royal commission could be convened. Premier Daniel Andrews said in 2014, while he was opposition leader, that it should be considered.
Tony: I was urged to flee
Tony Mokbel says a close confidant at the centre of what is about to explode as one of the biggest scandals in Victoria’s legal history urged him to flee the country in 2006, prompting a global manhunt.
The gangland boss and drug lord, now 53, has claimed the person, well connected in police circles, warned him he was about to be charged with multiple murders in 2006 and said that he should “f--- off”.
Mokbel skipped bail in March 2006 during a trial for cocaine importation.
He initially sought refuge in Bonnie Doon, where he hid for seven months.
While there, he received special deliveries, such as his mother’s tabouli, and visits from his then girlfriend, Danielle McGuire.
In a court hearing following Mokbel’s flight, police publicly blamed a solicitor not involved in the trial for warning him that murder charges were about to be laid against him.
Mokbel travelled across the Nullarbor, posing as a mute named Wes, before boarding the yacht Edwena — complete with a purpose-built hidey hole and separate toilet for the fugitive — for a voyage to Greece.
He was eventually arrested in an Athens seaside cafe in June 2007. Congratulating the police officers, he said: “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve done a brilliant job.”
He was extradited back to Melbourne in May 2008.
Detectives said that while in Athens, Mokbel rented a two-storey apartment for $3224 a month, and had just received $400,000 from contacts. Ms McGuire also visited him.
Despite being on Interpol’s top 100 list, and being the subject of a $1 million bounty for information leading to his capture, Mokbel is believed to have continued to run his drug empire from overseas.
His disappearance prompted rumours of gunfights in downtown Lebanon, plastic surgery and priest disguises.
The wig Mokbel was wearing when he was arrested is now kept at the police museum, despite his attempts to reclaim it.
The Mokbel confidant at the centre of the scandal over police tactics — a scandal due to be blown open next week — had a strong rapport with both the drug lord and his brothers Horty, Milad, and Kabalan.
Mokbel says he trusted the person deeply.
There are claims the person was able to communicate with him, via an intermediary, while he was on the run.
Mokbel was charged with two murders, but was acquitted of one, and the other case was dropped.
In July 2012, Mokbel was sentenced in the Supreme Court to 30 years in jail, with a minimum term of 22 years, for major drug offences.
Despite having now spent more than a decade behind bars, Mokbel has apparently retained the sense of humour for which he was well known, even sending cards that depict him in a boat — a reference to his voyage from Fremantle to Greece.