Share and Follow
In a surprising turn of events, one of Australia’s most infamous crime figures, Tony Mokbel, found himself walking free on Friday after prosecutors decided to drop the last drug charge against him.
The 60-year-old Mokbel, known for his notorious past, spent nearly 20 years behind bars. His dramatic escape to Greece on a yacht and subsequent capture at an Athens cafe in 2007 became a well-known tale of international intrigue.
On Friday, a visibly relieved Mokbel emerged from Melbourne’s Supreme Court, concluding a long legal battle aimed at reversing his drug convictions, which were tainted by the controversial Lawyer X scandal.
When approached by the media, Mokbel expressed his joy, saying, “Beautiful. It feels really nice, and life goes on now.” He also shared his excitement about traveling, mentioning that he is looking forward to going overseas.
He said he was most looking forward to “going overseas, of course”.
“That would be great, to get on a nice plane. I used to always dream of getting on a plane when I was in jail,” Mokbel said.
“That’s probably the biggest mistake of my life … being in jail. I don’t recommend it for no one.”
He was asked if he planned to visit Greece and said: “we’ll see how things flow”.
Mokbel was also questioned about whether he regretted drug trafficking.
“I don’t regret anything,” he replied, before he was followed by a media pack over the road to his lawyer’s office.
A lengthy legal battle
Appeal judges last year ordered he face a retrial over the remaining charge, which related to alleged incitement to import MDMA in 2005.
He had argued his drug convictions were tainted as he was represented by Nicola Gobbo, known initially as Lawyer X before her identity was revealed.
Gobbo had acted as a criminal lawyer for numerous gangland figures, while at the same time acting as a police informer.
The Court of Appeal delivered a split decision in October 2025 on drug trafficking and importation convictions in three of his separate cases — known as Orbital, Magnum and Quills.
Mokbel was acquitted over Quills, ordered to face a retrial on Orbital but lost his appeal on the Magnum brief, the latter relating to his trafficking of methamphetamine between 2006 and 2007.
The appeal court in November sentenced him to time served — 13 years, seven months and 15 days — for the Magnum offending.
Prosecutor David Glynn announced the final Orbital charge had been discontinued in brief hearing on Friday morning.
“On behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), I filed a discontinuance in relation to the one remaining charge on the indictment against Antonios Sajih Mokbel,” he told the court.
Mokbel had been out of jail since April under strict bail conditions.
Judicial registrar Timothy Freeman discharged Mokbel’s bail undertaking and told him “you are welcome to leave the dock”.
A DPP spokeswoman said the director reached his decision after “careful consideration of all aspects of the matter relevant to the prospects of conviction and the public interest in a retrial”.
This included “the fact that there was no actual importation”, likely ongoing delays to any retrial and the age of the alleged offending.
She said the director also took into account the likely sentence that would be imposed on Mokbel, given his age, health and the lengthy term of imprisonment already served.
Mokbel declined to comment on whether he will be seeking compensation from the state of Victoria for his time in prison.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.