Lawyer X: Release of key documents delayed by Victoria Police redaction demands

Last-minute redaction demands have delayed submissions that are expected to excoriate former and current senior officers.

Lawyer and former police informer Nicola Gobbo. Picture: Supplied

An avalanche of last-minute redaction demands from Victoria Police and others have delayed the highly anticipated release of Lawyer-X royal commission submissions expected to excoriate former and current senior officers.

The royal commission into the management of police informants was due to release its assisting counsel submissions at 2pm on Monday, which could indicate whether key players such as Nicola Gobbo will face criminal charges over their role in the legal scandal.

Dozens of criminals hoping to appeal their sentences are also eagerly awaiting the submissions, with the royal commission identifying at least 1200 cases potentially contaminated by the lawyer-cum-supergrass’s tainted information.

On Monday, the royal commission pulled the pin on publication less than an hour before the scheduled release.

The Australian understands the delay is due to a large volume of public interest immunity claims lodged last-minute by Victoria Police and others seeing the commission bogged down applying interim redactions.

It comes after News Corp Australia’s Herald Sun fought a five-year legal battle against Victoria Police to name Nicola Gobbo as a Victoria police informant in February 2019, triggering the royal commission.

It is not known what is contained in the submissions but they are expected to be scathing, with a Victoria Police last week losing a bid to suppress the identity of a senior officer who feared for his life and reputation if he was publicly connected to the royal commission’s findings on the Lawyer-X fiasco.

Defence barrister Nicola Gobbo represented underworld heavies such as Tony Mokbel in the mid 2000s when gangland rivalries saw criminals murdered in broad daylight in Melbourne suburbs.

Unbeknown to them her criminal clientele, Ms Gobbo was snitching on her criminal clientele as she provided them with legal representation.

It was a relationship known to then Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner of Crimes Simon Overland, who admitted “the ethics were f**ked” to the royal commission last year.

Ms Gobbo, who successfully sued Victoria Police for millions, admitted to the royal commission she acted as an agent for gangland detectives against the best interests of her clients.

Faruk Orman, who spent 12 years in prison for murder, had his conviction overturned after learning that Ms Gobbo, convinced a key gangland witness to give evidence against him last year and has since filed civil proceedings against Victoria Police.

An appeal on behalf of Mokbel is underway over claims his 2008 extradition from Greece was corrupted by Ms Gobbo’s involvement with Victoria Police.

In addition, two of Australia’s most notorious drug dealers, Rob Karam and Frank Madafferi, are also appealing their sentences due to Lawyer-X, as well dealers Jan Visser and Saverio Zirilli, who were jailed over their roles in the “tomato tins” ecstasy bust.

Shining a light on Victoria Police’s relationship with Ms Gobbo has cost Victorian taxpayers at least $40 million.

Ms McMurdo is due to hand down the royal commission’s final report on November 30.