Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel fronts court for the first time since bail was granted in April

Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel has fronted court for the first time since sensationally being granted bail in April, securing a date for his appeal against his drug convictions over the Lawyer X scandal.

Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel has fronted court for the first time since being granted bail last month after serving nearly 18 years behind bars.

Wearing a navy suit and striped tie, the 59-year-old sat quietly behind his lawyers in the Court of Appeal on Friday, where a date was set for his appeal against his drug convictions over the Lawyer X scandal.

Judicial registrar Deirdre McCann said the four-day hearing would begin on September 2, with orders also made for the parties to provide material to the court by July 4.

While the hearing was briefly stood down, Mokbel laughed and chatted with his solicitor, Sarah Tricarico, who was this month cleared to represent him after her legal suspension was quashed.

Mokbel declined to comment as he left court with his barrister Julie Condon KC, heading directly to his legal team’s office across the road.

Tony Mokbel (right) leaves his lawyers office on Friday. Picture: Jason Edwards

Tony Mokbel’s appeal against his drug convictions will begin on September 2. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mokbel secured bail in April. Picture: Jason Edwards

He was granted bail by the Court of Appeal on April 4 — 6514 days after he was last free.

Thirty bail conditions were imposed including the wearing of a GPS ankle monitor, daily reporting to Heidelberg Police Station and a curfew.

His sister Gawy Saad also put up a $1m surety to secure her brother’s release.

In a unanimous decision, Court of Appeal president Karin Emerton and justices Jane Dixon and Robert Osborn granted bail after finding Mokbel’s circumstances were “truly exceptional”.

Their decision came in light of a damning ruling by NSW Supreme Court justice Elizabeth Fullerton in December which found Victoria Police took part in a “joint criminal enterprise” when they enlisted Nicola Gobbo, known as Lawyer X, to bring down her client, Mokbel.

“As Justice Fullerton found, in the absence of disclosure of Nicola Gobbo’s conduct ... Mr Mokbel was in no position to properly assess whether it was in his best interests to agree to the global plea deal which he entered into,” Justice Emerton said last month.

“He was deliberately misled and deceived as to the strength and nature of the prosecution cases.”

Justice Emerton said Mokbel had a “very strong” case to quash his convictions as a result of the concealment and nondisclosure of Gobbo’s conduct.

On Friday, the court heard the composition of the bench for Mokbel’s appeal was yet to be decided.