End of the road for Mokbel after he loses final court bid

Updated December 13, 2013 13:43:22

Convicted drug kingpin Tony Mokbel has lost his final court bid to quash his punishment for masterminding a large scale drug ring.

The High Court has refused to grant him special leave to appeal against his conviction and 30-year sentence, for trafficking more than 45 kilograms of ecstasy and $4 million worth of speed.

Mokbel's lawyers argued his conviction should be quashed, despite his plea of guilty, because his extradition from Greece was in breach of his human rights.

The drugs boss was on the run for 15 months before he was arrested in Athens in 2007.

Before two high court judges, Mokbel's lawyers submitted Australian authorities knew an application was before the European Court of Human Rights to try and prevent his return to Melbourne, when the Greek authorities allowed his extradition.

The court was told there was "a race to get him out" before the court could intervene and before official notice of his application was received.

His lawyers argued whether Australia was complicate with Greece in breaching Mokbel's human rights, has never been tested in the courts.

Mokbel also sought leave to appeal against his 30-year sentence, with a non-parole period of 22-years, arguing it was manifestly excessive.

His lawyers argued the person on the street would consider it a heavy sentence.

In May, the Court of Appeal dismissed Mokbel's appeal against both his conviction and sentence.

Mokbel pleaded guilty to three rolled up counts of drug trafficking, after protracted attempts to try and prevent what would have been seven separate trials.

A previous attempt to stay proceedings on the basis his extradition was illegal also failed, as did an attempt to reverse his guilty plea.

At the time he was sentenced, Mokbel was already serving a 12-year sentence for importing cocaine, imposed on him after he fled Australia while on bail.

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, drug-offences, courts-and-trials, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted December 13, 2013 12:00:54