2 Billion $ worth of Victorian police corruption.
Matthew X
profrv at nex.net.au
Thu Aug 29 01:41:22 PDT 2002
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,4990987%255E2862,00.html
2b drug case shock
By ELISSA HUNT, Magistrates' Court reporter
29aug02
CHARGES against a man accused of a $2 billion drug conspiracy have been
dropped.
And the case against the man's brother, accused drug baron Antonios Mokbel,
was yesterday put off indefinitely because of a drug squad corruption probe.
Prosecutors told a court they did not know when the investigation by police
ethical standards officers would finish -- or how it might affect the case.
The admission paves the way for millionaire businessman Mr Mokbel to make
another bid for release on bail.
He is facing 18 state charges over an alleged drug syndicate worth $2
billion, and a Commonwealth case relating to cocaine importation.
On August 9, Supreme Court Justice Murray Kellam refused him bail on the
grounds that he posed a risk of fleeing, committing more offences,
interfering with witnesses or obstructing the course of justice.
But the judge raised concerns about the delay in the preliminary hearings
of the two cases, which were planned for October 16 and November 25.
He said the public would not tolerate the indefinite detention of suspects.
Justice Kellam granted Mr Mokbel permission to apply again if the
Commonwealth prosecution was unable to go ahead on the scheduled date.
Yesterday the Melbourne Magistrates' Court was told neither the
Commonwealth nor state cases could go ahead because of the corruption probe.
Mr Mokbel, 37, was arrested on August 24 last year in Victoria's biggest
drug sting.
His brother, Milad Mokbel, 34, of Brunswick, was arrested in November and
charged with possessing, trafficking and conspiring to traffic ephedrine.
Milad Mokbel's bail application at Melbourne Magistrates' Court was told
there was evidence linking him to a 550kg shipment of ephedrine.
It was alleged that his fingerprints had been found on a shipping document
detailing the movements of the container of ephedrine, and he had been
mentioned in recorded conversations between co-accused.
Milad Mokbel was released on bail last November with a $100,000 surety.
Yesterday the three drugs charges against him were withdrawn during an
administrative hearing before magistrate Phillip Goldberg.
A spokesman for the state Director of Public Prosecutions last night said
the ESD investigation was not related to the charges being withdrawn.
The case against Milad Mokbel could not proceed because there was
insufficient evidence, he said.
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