Nicola Gobbo and Tony Mokbel outside a court in 2004.The jailed crime boss launched his appeal in 2017 and had hoped to have his case heard in court this year, but the Court of Appeal heard on Tuesday that Mokbel had run out of funding for his legal team – which was headed by Ruth Shann, SC – and applied to Victoria Legal Aid for help.
“Things are at a standstill,” Ristivojevic told judicial registrar Deirdre McCann during an administrative hearing.She said Mokbel had applied for legal aid to provide a team of lawyers, including a senior counsel.Legal Aid lawyer Mia Smithyman said the organisation had received Mokbel’s application, but it hadn’t yet been referred to a decision-maker.She said the organisation expected to decide within three weeks whether it would fund the appeal.
McCann said the Court of Appeal had already invested a lot of time and effort hearing Mokbel’s challenge and was keen to have a judge rule on the factual disputes raised previously by his lawyers and prosecutors.
How on earth there has not been a Royal Commission into the running of Victoria Police Force leadership is a wonder of the world.
Not. One. Cent. From. The. Public. Purse!
Lawyers care so much for their clients. Until the money runs out.