Melbourne gangland's relief as underworld figures dodge witness box on eve of Lawyer X trial
Exonerated gangland figure Faruk Orman has settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against barrister-turned-informer Nicola Gobbo on the eve of a trial that could have forced a slew of his underworld associates to give evidence.
Orman had been seeking millions of dollars from his former lawyer over her key role in corrupting his 2008 prosecution for murder that resulted in him spending 12 years in jail before being set free after an appeal.
The compensation trial was due to begin in the Supreme Court on Monday, with the court confirming the case was now delayed. The settlement deal will still have to be finalised by the court.
Orman's decision to settle comes after a legal ruling last month that allowed the potential introduction of new evidence about his alleged involvement in the ongoing Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union corruption scandal.
Orman's alleged involvement in negotiating profitable enterprise bargaining deals through questionable connections to the CFMEU were revealed last year as part of the Building Bad investigative series by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes.
Gobbo's lawyers also issued subpoenas that could have compelled testimony from underworld figures including Mick Gatto, Steve 'The Turk' Kaya and Fedele 'Freddie the Bear' D'Amico.
An underworld source, who cannot be publicly identified, said Orman's associates were 'real unhappy' about potentially being forced to take the stand and answer questions about their activities under cross-examination by Gobbo's lawyers.
The move was made possible after a Supreme Court decision that went in Gobbo's favour last month that allowed her to access and introduce a swath of new evidence potentially disputing Orman's claims that his reputation had been damaged by her misconduct.
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Sydney Morning Herald
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The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
As lunch guests sickened, mushroom cook fed her children leftovers, she maintains
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ABC News
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