Victoria Police has revealed the eye-watering amount it cost to cover up the Lawyer X scandal
The shocking amount of money police spent managing the Nicola Gobbo scandal has been revealed.
Police & Courts
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Victoria Police has spent at least $64 million in managing and attempting to cover up the Lawyer X scandal.
Speaking of Victoria Police’s “profound failure” on 3AW on Tuesday, Chief Commissioner Shane Patton described the “absolutely huge cost to the organisation”, which included $42 million in legal costs.
He listed sitting days at the Lawyer X royal commission, statement preparation, and barrister and solicitor fees as part of the bill.
Public Interest Immunity claims, which determine whether or not individuals can be identified, were also included.
Victoria Police paid Nicola Gobbo $2.88 million in a secret compensation settlement in 2010.
Her many years of secret informing to police, while acting as a defence barrister, was not detailed in the claim, but the payout has since been labelled as “hush money”.
“We have always said that any steps we took, including going up the High Court, were because we had concerns that Miss Gobbo would be murdered,” Mr Patton said.
On Monday, Commissioner Margaret McMurdo disputed the claim that Ms Gobbo’s safety was the sole motivation for police’s long-held reluctance to reveal Gobbo’s unethical use.
She said a raft of police officers had placed concerns about reputational damage and convictions being overturned ahead of their duties as police officers.
Mr Patton apologised for the force’s breach of trust after Ms McMurdo’s findings were handed down.
On Tuesday he spoke of a range of prospective civil litigation costs ahead.
“While the (royal) commission has finished its work this is going to be with us for a long time,” he said.
It is believed that Ms Gobbo will launch further civil action against police, as will Faruk Orman and Zlate Cvetanovski, who were both freed from jail after the secret use of Gobbo was revealed.
It is unclear whether the costs of defending a growing number of appeal bids by convicted people was included in the $64 million price tag.
Rob Karam, who was convicted of the infamous Tomato Tins importation of ecstasy in 2007, has been fighting his conviction since 2016.
Appeals have been launched by four of his co-accused, and more are expected to follow.
Tony Mokbel, who was convicted of drug offences in 2012, launched legal action in 2017.
Mr Patton said on 3AW that no police officers had been stood down over the Lawyer X scandal.
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