In a significant legal development, notorious gangland figure Tony Mokbel will not face a retrial for his high-profile drug trafficking case. The Director of Public Prosecutions is set to confirm this decision in court on Friday, bringing a fresh sensation to the long-running Lawyer X scandal.
DPP to Confirm No Retrial in Court
The DPP will inform Melbourne’s Court of Appeal that it will not seek a retrial for the final set of charges against Mokbel, which date back two decades. This move follows earlier court actions that have already impacted his convictions and sentences.
Potential Freedom for Mokbel
The 60-year-old father could become a completely free man as early as Friday morning. Mokbel was released from prison last April after serving 18 years behind bars, which was six years before he was eligible for parole.
Impact of Lawyer X Scandal
Mokbel’s case has been deeply affected by the Lawyer X scandal, where his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, was secretly working against him for about five years. This led the Court of Appeal to determine that Mokbel had suffered a substantial miscarriage of justice.
As a result, the court has already quashed his conviction and 13-year prison sentence for producing and trafficking MDMA pills in 2005. Separately, his 20-year sentence for trafficking methylamphetamine was changed to time already served, though that conviction still stands.
Final Charges Dropped
Friday’s hearing will address the final set of charges against Mokbel, which involve trafficking MDMA and inciting its importation. The DPP’s confirmation that it will not proceed with a retrial marks the likely end of this lengthy legal saga.
