Gangland boss spotted after release

Yahoo

05-04-2025

Infamous organised crime figure Tony Mokbel has been spotted on his first day of freedom for two decades, out and about in suburban Melbourne.
Mokbel, 59, was sensationally bailed by the Court of Appeal on Friday, as an impending appeal over his convictions, tainted by his police informant lawyer, draws closer.
After 18 years behind bars, the courts have found Mokbel's appeal has a reasonable chance of success.
His sister has put up a $1m surety on Mokbel adhering to 30 bail conditions.
On Saturday morning, Mokbel was spotted going for a walk with family, and then hopping in a vehicle destined for the police station a few hours later.
'You know I have proceedings on foot, and I can't talk to anyone, so thank you,' he told reporters who had staked out his sister's house.
'That's the instruction from all my lawyers.'
More than a dozen members of the media were on hand at first light as Mokbel emerged from the house and went for a walk.
A few hours later, he got into a black Volkswagen Golf and went to the Heidelberg Police Station to make his daily check in, driven by a younger female.
After a year on the run in Greece and then 18 years in prison, on Friday Mokbel spent time with his children and saw his mother's grave for the first time.
On Saturday, a 75 inch TV and flatpack furniture were delivered to his sister's house.
The notorious figure has made no attempt to dodge the media upon release, with no decoy cars or disguises used.
The typically dapper figure has been dressed in black gym gear.
Mokbel, is fighting to overturn his convictions in the wake of the Lawyer-X scandal which saw his longtime legal confidant, Nicola Gobbo, unmasked as a police informer in 2019.
Mokbel was a central figure in Melbourne's gangland wars of the 1990s and 2000s, and after being arrested in Greece, pleaded guilty to a host of drugs charges.
But the actions of Victoria Police and Ms Gobbo have either nullified or cast serious doubt on the convictions of multiple men, and Mokbel's appeal case is 'very strong', one of the Court of Appeal justices said on Friday.