Drug kingpin Tony Mokbel will walk from custody a free man for the first time in 18 years after three Court of Appeal justices granted him bail.
The underworld figure made a bid for bail earlier this week after being locked up overseas and in Barwon Prison for nearly 18 years for drug trafficking, a prosecution that his legal team argues has been hopelessly corrupted by the Lawyer X scandal.
Mokbel will have to abide by a raft of strict conditions including that he can’t use a smart phone or encrypted apps or contact anyone living overseas.
Tony Mokbel arrives at the Victorian Court of Appeal on Friday morning.Credit: Joe Armao
After the decision Mokbel was led from the Court of Appeal where his surety paperwork will be processed and the ankle bracelet fitted before he can officially walk free. A group of about 10 supporters smiled and hugged in the court lobby.
The prosecution told the court that Mokbel’s flight risk was not low, given the last time the mastermind of drug trafficking operation The Company was free, he fled Australia hidden inside a 17-metre yacht.
A sketch of Tony Mokbel in court.Credit: Anita Lester
Mokbel, 59, will also be fitted with a GPS ankle monitoring device as part of his release, as well as being subject to a 8pm to 6am curfew and must report daily to police.
Private bail company Allied Universal, based in New Zealand, will monitor Mokbel’s movements via the ankle bracelet around the clock, charging more than $25,000 a year for the service, which Mokbel is funding.
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