End gangland war with a Versace suit to boot: inside Mokbel's 'deal'

Tony Mokbel met two detectives and put two things on the table: an offer to end the gangland war and to fit out the Purana taskforce in Versace suits.

The location was Yarra Bend, a picturesque park along the Yarra River frequented by joggers, dogs and, on this particular Tuesday afternoon in 2004, one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the Victoria.

A concilliatory Mokbel brought along a mate, designer clothing store owner Emilio Navarolli, and laid out his plan to end the gangland murders.

"I thought if we sit down, take a bit of chip off our, our shoulders, bit of chip off your shoulders and we just come to a reasonable, bit of reasonable conclusion," Mokbel proposed to the police officers.

Tony Mokbel.

The drug kingpin was facing serious trafficking charges and his end game was for police to leave him alone to continue his trade.

Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:

He offered to keep his mouth shut about corrupt police, but the carrot he dangled was jail time for associates such as Carl Williams, who were apparently more than happy to do short stints behind bars.

"Let’s worry about Tony Mokbel, let’s worry about Carl Williams and if a few get away for a little bit then so be it. What’s the big deal ... And this way, like I said, the streets are yours again," Mokbel proposed.

"The blokes I’ve spoken to they said, 'Tone, if you reckon you can put this together we’re more than happy. If you reckon it’s a fair deal.'”

In return, Mokbel said he wouldn't clog up the court for years fighting his drug charges and the gangland war would end with the serious players behind bars.

"It‘s like the strength is away. If that’s what you reckon, if the strength’s away, been put away for a couple of years in the nick, OK."

A transcript of the expletive-laden, secretly recorded one-hour long meeting was released on Wednesday by the royal commission into Victoria Police's management of informers.

In it, Purana taskforce Detective Sergeant Martin Robertson and drug squad investigator David Bartlett appear to humour Mokbel.

"How's this going to stop, what's, ah, the killings out on the street," Detective Robertson said.

"Well nothing can assure you that's going to happen. I'm just saying ..." Mokbel replied.

Nik Radev was shot dead in Coburg in 2003.

Mokbel tells the police his bargain would stop a royal commission into police corruption from happening.

Robertson responds: "Oh my god, it could even start one."

But Mokbel could not be deterred: "If we can turn around, forget about the bullshit, just plead guilty to a couple of the f---in' charges ... explain your way a little bit to the media, and then that way Homicide gets to control the f---in' streets again, okay."

During the conversation, the detectives tried to elicit information from him and the conversation became peppered with the who's who of Melbourne's underworld.

Detective Robertson tells Mokbel he heard he was given a “belting” by standover man Nik “The Russian” Radev.

“I’d f---in’ hang meself if Nik Radev gave me a belting,” Mokbel scoffed.

“That’s bullshit...there [was] a couple of guys from Perth, it was a f---in’ bikie group and, um, well you heard the bloke, Mick Gatto [was] there.”

Andrew “Benji” Veniamin – shot dead weeks earlier by Gatto who was later acquitted of murder – was a “dangerous, very dangerous bloke,” Mokbel said.

“You wouldn’t know which, one day if he was on your side or not on your side.”

Police examine the van in which Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro were murdered.Credit: Paul Harris

Mokbel then called Mr Gatto a “c---sucker” for inviting Veniamin to his “place” AKA the Carlton restaurant where Veniamin was shot.

A year earlier, Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro were shot dead in front of children in a van parked at an Auskick junior football game.

Detective Robertson tells Mokbel that after that, the “gloves went off”. But Mokbel offers an explanation: it was kill or be killed and Moran had hits [contract killings] out “left, right and centre”.

“[What] am I supposed to do? Sit there and wait for some bloke?” Mokbel said.

The only harmless players killed in the war, Mokbel said, were Willie Thompson and Graham “The Munster” Kinniburgh.

Of his rival Kinniburgh, Mokbel said: “I’ll be honest with you he wasn’t a f---in’ bad bloke."

At the end of the meeting, Mokbel told the detectives his main reason for his “deal” was for peace on the streets.

“I can see your argument,” Detective Robertson said.

“But at the end of the day it’ll be up to greater minds than us to work it out.”

Mokbel's partner Danielle McGuire.Credit: Angela Wylie

The meeting ends with Detective Bartlett asking after Mokbel's child with Danielle McGuire (“She’s going beautiful,” Mokbel responds, but he was “bluein’ with McGuire") and Navarolli offering a parting gift.

"You've got a Versace place or something?" Detective Robertson asks.

"Yeah ... Can we dress you guys?" Navarolli responds.

“I don’t think you can [do] anything with me,” Detective Robertson said.

“I’m beyond redemption.”

Former Detective Inspector Jim O'Brien.Credit: Penny Stephens

In the public inquiry this week, former Purana boss Jim O’Brien said Mokbel achieved the opposite of what he wanted with police. Mokbel's arrogance in attempting to corrupt police only confirmed him as a key target for investigators.

“I was probably annoyed that he held himself, believed he held himself, in such a position of power in this state, that he controlled things and controlled people,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It reaffirmed my belief that he saw everyone else ... as a mere tradeable commodity."