Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton to front Lawyer X probe

Graham Ashton to be questioned about what he knew about Nicola Gobbo and underworld figures.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton is expected to spend two days being questioned about his knowledge about the use of Nicola Gobbo to inform on underworld figures. Picture: Getty Images

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton will front a royal commission into the use of underworld barrister Nicola “Lawyer X” Gobbo as a police informer next week.

Mr Ashton is expected to take the stand on Monday, and has been scheduled to give evidence overt two days about his knowledge of the use of Ms Gobbo to inform on underworld figures, including those she represented.

Ms Gobbo, who royal commissioner Margaret McMurdo this week ordered to give evidence in January, was a high profile criminal defence barrister who represented underworld heavies such as Tony Mokbel at the height of the gangland wars in the mid-2000s.

The police hierarchy at the time signed off on the unprecedented use of Ms Gobbo becoming a supergrass in large part because of the extent of the gangland war casualties.

Mr Ashton was then an assistant commissioner and was part of the Office of Police Integrity. He knew about the use of Ms Gobbo as an informer.

“Simply knowing about the existence of an informer isn’t of itself a breach of the law, nor was it a breach of policy at the time,” Mr Ashton said in October.

“I’ve always said in relation to myself, I’ve done nothing wrong and I maintain that position.”

“At the time, 15 years ago when this stuff was happening, at the time we were trying to act in the best interests of the community.”

Melbourne lawyer Nicola Gobbo, known as Lawyer X. Picture: ABC

Former police commissioners Simon Overland and Christine Nixon are also expected to give evidence in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, Ms Gobbo was ordered to give evidence to the commission by phone in January.

But Ms McMurdo said it was possible that Ms Gobbo would not appear as ordered.

“I have no confidence that ultimately Nicola Gobbo will give evidence before this commission, whether or not she eventually provides a reasonable excuse for not doing so,” she said.

Ms McMurdo rejected a bid from Ms Gobbo’s legal team to allow her to be excused from giving evidence after they argued that her physical and mental health — along with other factors — meant that she had a reasonable excuse not to appear.

Ms Gobbo’s role as an informer has already seen the conviction of her former client Faruk Orman overturned in July after the innocent man spent more than a decade behind bars.

Other former clients were also looking at appealing their convictions on the basis of her role as a police informer.