‘Good to have him back’; Mokbel welcomed back to church

Tony Mokbel spends first Sunday morning as a free man in 18 years with a prayer – after checking in with local cops.

Tony Mokbel leaves Heidelberg police station where he reported early on Sunday morning. Picture: Valeriu Campan

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Dressed in fashionable jeans covering his electronic ankle tracker, Tony Mokbel checked in with the local cops on Sunday morning and attended church in Melbourne for his first prayer as a free man in ­almost two decades.

The gangwar drug lord – set free on Friday by the Victorian Court of Appeal under strict bail conditions because of the Lawyer X scandal – joined a large Mokbel family gathering for the Sunday morning service at the Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic Parish in inner-city Thornbury.

Monsignor Joseph Takchi said he had known Mokbel and his family for decades and while he wasn’t involved in Sunday morning’s service, he was happy to have him back.

“I have known them (Mokbels) all for years and years and years,” he told The Australian.

“I know Tony from before, the early days, so I do know him. I knew his Mum, I’ve known them for a long time, but I haven’t seen him as yet.”

Monsignor Takchi said he wasn’t worried about Mokbel attending the church even though he had spent 18 years in jail for ­serious drug trafficking offences.

“It wouldn’t worry me … at the church, we don’t tell anybody not to come to church. Everyone is welcome,” he said.

Drug lord Tony Mokbel at the Maronite Catholic Church at Thornbury. Picture: Matrix

Asked if he was surprised by the path Mokbel’s life took, Monsignor Takchi said: “I think we all were although I’m used to people taking different paths in life, but it was a bit of a shock to us.”

In freeing Mokbel, the Victorian Court of Appeal described the chances of his substantive appeal to quash his convictions, which will be held later this year, as “very strong” based on the ­double role his barrister, Nicola Gobbo, played working with police to lock him up.

Mokbel’s first weekend on the outside after 18 years on the inside started shortly after his curfew lifted on Saturday.

Tony Mokbel on Saturday, with a woman who appears to be his new girlfriend. Picture: David Crosling

After checking into Heidelberg police station early on Saturday, the gangwar drug lord set about enjoying his first full day of freedom since his arrest in Greece in 2007.

Dressed fashionably in black Nike exercise gear, he appeared to enjoy a walk hand in hand with a woman who appears to be his new ­girlfriend.

After an hour or so strolling, Mokbel returned to sister Gawy Saad’s Viewbank home where he is living and offered a brief ­statement: “You know I have ­proceedings on foot, and I can’t talk to anyone, so thank you. That’s the instructions from all my lawyers.”

Then it was off to Northland shopping centre and bit of shopping where they were spotted holding several bags and browsing through various outlets. A 75-inch television was delivered to the Viewbank home during Saturday, it was reported.