He and good friend Faruk Orman were present at the December 22, 2003, meeting at Crown casino which was called by Gatto to "clear the air" between himself, Veniamin and gangland serial killer Carl Williams.

Kaya and Orman were also present at Carlton's La Porcella restaurant on the day of Veniamin's shooting and gave evidence when Gatto faced trial.

Kaya agreed with counsel for Gatto, Robert Richter, QC, that at the casino meeting Gatto's message to Veniamin and Williams was: "This is not my war. Leave me alone."

He also agreed with Mr Richter that when Veniamin was unable to track down a man he was threatening to kill - Pasquale Zefina - he prepared to shoot Zefina's sister to "draw him out".

Kaya said he talked Veniamin out of carrying out the threat against the sister.

He said it was common knowledge that when Veniamin ultimately found Zefina, he shot him five times.

Veniamin had threatened to shoot police at the St Kilda Road complex after a search of his mother's home uncovered a .38 revolver.

He told Kaya that police had stolen some of his mother's jewellery.

"He said he was just going to run into the police complex and do his best . .. . kill whoever he can kill," Kaya said.

"I just talked him out of it. I calmed him down."

Kaya also said that a man - Brian Finn - who claimed Gatto handed him a pistol after the shooting, was present the day Veniamin was killed.

He did not, however, see Finn after the shooting.

Mr Kaya agreed that he had not mentioned Mr Finn being present in an earlier statement.

In September 2007, Steve Kaya, along with another associate of Gatto (right), fruit-and-vegetable market identity Vince Benvenuto, were separately questioned about the execution of notorious criminal Victor Pierce detectives from the Purana taskforce.

Faruk Orman had been arrested and charged with he murder earlier in the year. 

Police believe Orman was the driver for hired killer Andrew Veniamin when Pierce was killed.

It is Mick Gatto's connection to Orman which has again focused attention on Gatto and his friends.

One piece of the puzzle in the investigation is photographs secretly taken of Gatto meeting another member of the infamous Benvenuto family in the middle of a city park 48 hours before Peirce's murder.