Bailed underworld figure Tony Mokbel has slipped right back into a daily routine, attending church and a shopping centre on his third day of freedom.
Mokbel’s fall from grace may end up a blessing in disguise.
And on the steps of his family church in Thornbury it appears he’s been redeemed.
He was embraced by parishioners and seen shaking the hands of excited children.
The freed drug baron spent Sunday morning in prayer.
Next he went for his daily check-in with police, before visiting a shopping centre for the second day in a row.
“He seems to be going about daily routine fitting back into his family and society in essence does appear he will retain that freedom,” Criminologist Xanthie Mallett said.
“There are very strong signs his appeal will be successful.”
His case was corrupted by his lawyer Nicola Gobbo who was doubling as a police informer.
“A royal commission was conducted into matters that have led to the appeal being made, and that is to ensure that what we’ve seen in the past, can never, ever happen again here in Victoria,” Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said.
Two of Lawyer X’s former clients have been acquitted and successfully sued the state of Victoria for damages.
One of those men – Faruk Orman – is now suing Gobbo personally.
If Mokbel wins in his appeal, he could sue the government for up to $1 million for its role in the Lawyer X scandal.
But he could also demand compensation $20 million worth of property he had confiscated after his arrest.
“The corruption involved in cases he was found guilty of is so severe this really this was the only outcome,” Mallett said.
