Prosecutors abandon criminal case against Tony Mokbel
Updated ,first published
On the steps of the courthouse, Tony Mokbel said going to prison for drugs was the “biggest mistake” of his life.
The underworld figure, who misses the death of his mother and other important events in his life, said he was now looking forward to getting on a plane, perhaps even to Greece, after the Director of Public Prosecutions abandoned the case against him in 2005, more than 20 years after the alleged crimes were said to have been committed.
The 60-year-old is now a free man; He walks away from court without any pending criminal cases and without the shadow of bail, signaling that a wedding may now be possible.
When asked how it felt to be relieved, he replied: “It’s very nice, it’s a really nice feeling and life goes on.”
He thanked his legal team, friends and family for supporting him along the way, and said he wasn’t sure how he would feel right now, but a holiday abroad was planned.
“It would be great to get on a plane. I always dreamed of getting on a plane when I was in prison,” Mokbel said as he looked at the Melbourne sky.
He said missing family matters, including his mother’s death, were the biggest regrets of his life.
“That’s probably the biggest mistake of my life, being in prison, I don’t recommend that to anyone,” he said.
Minutes earlier, in the High Court courtroom four, Crown Prosecutor David Glynn, SC, told criminal recorder Timothy Freeman that the principal (DPP) would not be holding a retrial on matters the Court of Appeal had decided in October because of the possible impact on barrister Nicola Gobbo’s defence.
“On behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions, I am applying for a continuance in respect of an outstanding charge,” Glynn said.
Freeman stated that there was no case pending in court regarding Mokbel and granted him bail.
Mokbel then nodded in agreement.
“Thank you very much, Your Honor,” Mokbel replied.
Once his bail was revoked, he now has the freedom to move around the county and internationally without restriction.
In a statement, the DPP said: “This decision was taken after careful consideration of all aspects of the matter relating to the likelihood of conviction and the public interest in a retrial. Particularly important issues included the possible ongoing delays, the age of the alleged offending, the fact that there was no actual importation, and the likely sentence to be imposed on conviction, given Mr Mokbel’s age, health and the long length of the prison sentence already served.”
Mokbel appealed against his drug convictions for three matters, known as Orbital, Magnum and Quills, after it was revealed that his one-time lawyer, superherbivore Nicola Gobbo, had given him information about him to the police while also occasionally giving him legal advice.
In October, three Court of Appeals judges partially sided with Mokbel, acquitting him of some convictions, affirming others and ordering a retrial in a third case.
The court previously heard Mokbel’s legal team, led by KC’s Julie Condon, immediately wrote to the DPP asking for the case to be dropped.
Mokbel was out on bail at the time, but had spent almost 19 years in prison since his arrest in Greece in 2005 while on the run from authorities.
The case centered on a charge of conspiracy to import drugs arising from two meetings with undercover police officers on 29 and 30 June 2005; where police had previously alleged that Mokbel had 100 kilograms of MDMA powder imported at a cost of $1.2 million in what became known as the Orbital case.
In April, after nearly two decades behind bars, Mokbel was released on bail with strict conditions pending the outcome of appeal hearings in April 2025.
That was before sentenced to 30 years in prisonIn 2012, he had a non-parole period of 22 years after pleading guilty to masterminding a sophisticated drug syndicate. But in October the Court of Appeal threw out one of Mokbel’s main drug-related convictions, ordered a retrial on the second and upheld the third.
sentenced to 30 years in prison later reduced to 13 yearsHe was sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison, which the court said he had already served after being arrested in Greece while running from authorities.
In your decision, Court of Appeal found superturf Nicola Gobbo’s involvement overturned a case against Mokbel, known as Operation Quills, to the extent that his conviction was annulled. Gobbo served as Mokbel’s defense lawyer in the early 2000s and also gave information about Mokbel to the police.
The Magnum conviction, which still stands, related to Mokbel’s trafficking of commercial quantities of methylamphetamine through a large-scale criminal enterprise while abroad.
Since his release on bail, Mokbel has been supported in court every day by his girlfriend, who stood by him after meeting him in prison.
When asked by off-site byline whether a wedding venue was in the plans, he replied: “I would say yes.”
Be the first to know when important news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts Turn on notifications in email or in the app.
