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Timeline April 2008
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Moran taskforce 'sharks', court hears
The Age
April 28, 2008
The police taskforce investigating the Lewis Moran murder contained "sharks" who went on a feeding frenzy when they saw blood in the water, a prisoner said in a secretly recorded jail conversation played in the Supreme Court.
The inmate — who has since nominated himself as the driver when Moran was killed — told then fellow inmate Evangelos Goussis on September 29, 2004, that the police were investigating a big case.
"If they break through with it, once they're on, they're like sharks … Once they get blood in the water, they go on a feeding frenzy," the prisoner said, according to the transcript made from the conversation.
"The more you do that, the more you open the door, they're sharks. They're f---ing rats and … they're just gunna keep f---in' thrashing around the waters till they get every drop of blood out of ya. That's why they call them Purana."
The conversations were played before a jury sitting in the trial of Goussis, 40, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Moran on March 31, 2004.
The jurors and Justice Betty King have seen security camera footage of a masked gunman shooting Moran, and a second gunman shooting his friend Herbert Wrout at the Brunswick Club.
Goussis, who is alleged to have shot and killed Moran, has also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Wrout.
Defence counsel Stephen Shirrefs, SC, has said that Goussis was in Port Phillip Prison, on remand for an unrelated matter, at the same time as the quoted criminal in 2004. The criminal, who cannot be identified, has given evidence in the trial that Goussis was one of three men involved in the contract killing, and admitted shooting Moran.
In the September 29 taped conversation he urged Goussis not to help them or make statements.
Late in the day Detective Senior Constable Simon Hunt, formerly with Purana taskforce, said in court that no prison informers were implicating Goussis and the criminal in the Lewis Moran murder.
 Fenech gloves up at Gatto's chateau
(Sunday Herald Sun)
April 27, 2008
Former world boxing champion Jeff Fenech has turned to Mick Gatto for help as he prepares his comeback bout against Ghana's Azumah Nelson.
Fenech, 43, has begun training at Gatto's in-house ring and gym, and has lost 18kg in seven weeks.
Sydney-based Fenech said he planned to train every morning at Chatteau Gatto in Lower Plenty in the lead up to his June 24 grudge match aginst Nelson, expected to be held at Vodaphone Arena.
"I've known Mick for a while but for the last four or five years spent quality time with him. I've been to his family weddings and I respect him a great deal," Fenech said.
Gatto won five of his nine professional fights from 1973-79 and was ranked in the top ten heavyweights in Australia, said Fenech would "destroy Nelson in the clash of the triple world champions.
"He's been a good friend of mine in hard times, and he's a great champ," Gatto said.
Fenech said he thought Nelson, 49, would "try to knock me out, but he;'s no fitter than me. No one trains harder than I do".
 Fan fare gives boxing flair
April 24, 2008
Fists were flying at Malvern Town Hall on Anzac Day eve when Shannon MacMahon claimed the Bob Rose Cup with a fourth-round knock-out of Tom Hateley.
But there was as much interest outside the ring as was it in, with some colourful identities spotted in the crowd.
Former Collingwood player Rene Kink presented the cup, named in honour of former Magpie great Rose, to MacMahon.
Former world boxing champion Lester Ellis was ringside while ex-Melbourne captain Robbie Flower was also spotted along with Kink's new sparring partner Mick Gatto.
Prominent lawyers George Defteros and Zarah Garde-Wilson were also in the crowd.
Witness saw a man sprinting
(Geelong Advertiser)
April 23, 2008
A witness in the Evangelo Goussis murder trial today described to the court how he saw two men sprint through back streets near the scene of Lewis Moran's shooting.
Colin Whitehead said he heard three gunshots moments before the men emerged from around a corner, running "as fast as they could".
He said the first man, who was taller and wearing a sack over his head, was carrying a gun.
The court heard the witness later provided police with a photo-fit of the second man, who he described as about 170cm tall with black curly hair and of Greek or Itallian descent.
Mr Whitehead, who was putting rubbish in a bin at the time, said the first man was about 182cm and wearing all black.
Jutice Betty King warned jurors not to go to the scene by themselves.
"Otherwise we will be doing this all again with another jury," she said.
Earlier, she instructed the jury to ignore any media reports about a Today Tonight program featuring Judy Moran and Barbara Williams expected to be screened interstate that night, but banned in Victoria.
Moran kill film shown
(Geelong Advertiser)
April 22, 2008
Jurors in Evangelos Goussis' murder trial today watched crime scene footage of Lewis Moran's lifeless body slumped against a wall after he was executed.
Moran was lying in a pool of blood, his head resting against a stairwell. Wounds to his head and body were visible.
An eerie quiet descended on the court as the silent crime scene footage of Moran's final moment were shown.
Unlike CCTV footage shown to the jury earlier, the police video was in colour, providing a new picture of he bright and colourful Brunswick Club.
But as the camera surveyed the club, the vibe became much darker.
Crime scene markers and chairs highlighted where bullets and other pieces of evidence were found.
A chair was apparently knocked over as Moran tried to flee the gunman, while plastice cups littered the carpet in the gaming area.
Then the camera focussed on Moran's body, studing it from several different angles.
Pathologist Noel Woodford explained Moran's major wounds to the court - including bullet wounds to his shoulder, another through the back of his throat.
He described them as near contact wounds.
"The gunshot wounds in that case were the major issue," Dr Woodford said.
"I couldn't find another cause of death, and he had two gunshot wounds to the head."
Police forensic specialist Sergaent Bradley Mason said Moran's body was in a pool of blood when he attended the scene.
He said the blood patterns on the floor and walls were consistent with a high-velocity impact.
Moran informer tells of shame
(Herald Sun)
April 21, 2008
A career criminal who helped kill Lewis Moran says he is ashamed of himself for breaking the underworld code of silence.
The man who drove the getaway car on the night of Moran's March 2004 murder today told a jury he never thought he would end up an informer after spending his whole life obeying the gangland creed.
"I always viewed the police and the prosecution as the natural enemy," he said.
"I was born into a world which has a code of conduct.
"I feel ashamed of breaking that code."
The criminal is the star witness in the case against Evangelos Goussis, who is accused of being one of the two gunmen who stormed the Brunswick Club and shot Moran, 58, and wounded his mate Bert Wrout.
Mr Goussis, 40, has pleaded not guilty to murder.
The Supreme Court heard the criminal became an informer while in prison after being charged with Moran's murder, when his wife had a stroke.
He said his decision meant he had become an outcast in his world and his life as he knew it was effectively over.
"I have been broken. I feel like a broken man," he said.
The trial before Justice Betty King is continuing.
Gang mum TV showdown banned
(Herald Sun)
April 21, 2008
A television showdown between crime matriarchs Judy Moran and Barbara Williams has been banned, just hours before it was due to go to air.
Supreme Court judge Betty King - who also banned the Nine's Underbelly series - has banned the on-air showdown which had been planned for tonight on the Seven Network.
Carl Williams is serving 35 years in jail for the murder of Jason Moran and his father Lewis Moran.
Justice King imposed an interim order stopping the interview going to air on Seven's Today Tonight until 4.15pm tomorrow when she will have further discussions about the program.
She made her decision after viewing the segment in court this afternoon.
Justice King banned the broadcast in Victoria of Underbelly until the completion of the current trial of Evangelos Goussis, who has pleaded not guilty to shooting Lewis Moran in the Brunswick Club in Melbourne in March 2005.
"Being the queen of banning things, it is, obviously, my role," Justice King told the trial's jury today before imposing the ban.
"If it is on, I urge you not to watch it - it's Mrs Williams and Mrs Moran.
"I don't know what's in it, but I don't imagine it's going to be edifying or pleasant or anything else - one thing it is not going to be, it is not going to be relevant."
She said the two women will have strong opinions and won't be hesitant in voicing them.
She told the jury that if members of their family or friends watch it, they should not talk to them about it.
"I do wonder about the timing, but that's a matter I have to deal with," she said.
Williams wins appeal
(Herald Sun)
April 18, 2008
Carl Williams was granted leave today to fight his 35-year minimum jail sentence.
Williams appeared jovial during the brief Court of Appeal hearing as he smiled and waved at his mother, Barbara, and ex-wife Roberta.
Lawyers for the four-time killer claim his sentence was manifestly excessive because the sentencing judge failed to place appropriate weight on mitigating factors including his conditions in custody.
The court heard the crux of the appeal was whether Justice Betty King had given proper consideration to a statement Williams had given police.
Prosecutor Adrian Castle said evidence Williams gave at his plea hearing had made the statement unreliable and of no use to police.
Justice King said Williams was a coward and his evidence "unbelievable, even incredible at times", when sentencing him last May.
Mr Castle argued the grounds for appeal lacked substance when considered in the context of the whole of Williams' offending, which included four murders, a conspiracy to murder and drug trafficking.
"That alone makes a sentence of life with 35 years not manifestly excessive," Mr Castle said.
Lachlan Carter, for Williams, said when it came to considering a minimum term Justice King erred as a matter of evidence and law by not taking his client's statement into account.
Justice Marcia Neave granted the appeal, saying there were reasonably argued grounds.
But she warned Williams that did not mean his appeal would eventually succeed or time would be taken off his sentence.
Williams received three life sentences after pleading guilty to the murders of Jason Moran at a football clinic in 2003, Lewis Moran at a Brunswick pub in 2004 and drug dealer Mark Mallia in 2003.
He received a 25-year maximum term for a failed conspiracy to murder Mario Condello.
Williams was already serving a sentence for the murder of hot dog salesman Michael Marshall in South Yarra in 2003.
The appeal will be heard on a date to be fixed.
Criminal admits lying about Moran shooting
(Herald Sun)
April 18, 2008
A career criminal has denied he was the one who pulled the trigger on Lewis Moran - despite saying he was the shooter in a video-recorded re-enactment.
And he has admitted lying to police when he told them he could guarantee Carl Williams was not involved in the murder.
The criminal, who cannot be named, has told a Supreme Court jury he accepted a $150,000 contract from Williams and Tony Mokbel to execute Moran.
He says he was the getaway driver, taking two gunmen to the Brunswick Club to murder Moran, 58, in March 2004.
The court heard Williams last year pleaded guilty to counselling and procuring the murder of Moran.
Evangelos Goussis, 40, is on trial accused of chasing and executing Moran while a second shooter guarded the door.
Mr Goussis has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Moran and the attempted murder of Moran's mate, Bert Wrout.
Defence counsel Stephen Shirrefs, SC, asked the criminal who implicated Mr Goussis whether he was in fact the person who shot Moran.
"No, I wasn't," he said.
Mr Shirrefs suggested to the man that Mr Goussis was not involved in Moran's murder.
"Not so," the criminal said.
The criminal also said he did not implicate someone else to receive a reduced sentence.
"I didn't care about a discount, Mr Shirrefs. I still don't," he said.
The criminal told the jury on Thursday that he had lied in the videotaped interview in which he said he had fired the gun at Moran.
The trial before Justice Betty King continues
Crimnal wanted to help wife
(Herald Sun)
April 17, 2008
A career criminal told police that part of his motivation for helping to kill Lewis Moran stemmed from a fallout dating back to the murder of Alphonse Gangitano, a jury has heard.
The criminal, who cannot be identified, today described Gangitano as a gentleman.
While he said that he would not dispute telling police that the fallout was part of his motive, it was not true.
The fallout was not with Lewis Moran, but was with his son Jason, the criminal said.
The criminal told the court that he confessed to being involved in Lewis Moran's murder on the day that the Australian Crime Commission questioned his wife.
He said he wanted to "get my wife out of that situation".
He earlier told the jury: "I was trying to -- not take the heat off my wife, but ease the pressure on my wife."
The criminal allegedly drove two gunmen to the Brunswick Club to murder Lewis Moran, 58, in March 2004.
Evangelos Goussis, 40, is accused of chasing and executing Moran while a second shooter guarded the doorway.
Mr Goussis has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Moran and the attempted murder of Bert Wrout, who was wounded by the second gunman.
The criminal told the jury this week that he was convinced Moran was trying to have him killed.
He has admitted accepting a $150,000 contract from Tony Mokbel and Carl Williams to execute Moran.
He said that when Moran told him to "f--- off " in a brief telephone conversation, Moran's fate was sealed.
"They were the offending words, they were the alerting words, they were the words that made me aware that there was a problem," the criminal said.
He said the conversation, combined with other knowledge he had, was enough to convince him that there was a contract on his life.
The criminal today admitted creating a fictitious story for Purana Taskforce detectives after telling them he wanted to co-operate over the murder.
During the conversation, he said he had no direct involvement in Moran's murder, but the part he played was to dispose of clothes and pick up money.
During a video re-enactment a day later, he said he was Moran's killer.
"I was telling lies in that interview," the criminal told the jury.
"There's no truth in it, none at all."
Defence counsel Stephen Shirrefs, SC, suggested the criminal told lies to convince police that he was not the shooter.
"If that was the case, Mr Shirrefs, I wouldn't have confessed in the first place," the criminal said.
The trial before Justice Betty King was to continue.
Milad Mokbel pleads guilty
(Herald Sun)
April 16, 2008
The brother of Tony Mokbel has admitted trafficking drugs and stashing more than $450,000 in cash and jewellery earned through illicit trade.
Milad Mokbel, 40, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to trafficking and attempting to traffick large commercial quantities of methylamphetamine and of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Police allege Mokbel, of Brunswick, was involved in manufacture and distribution of speed in April 2006.
They intercepted a delivery of amphetamines to Mokbel's Brunswick house and found $116,255 in cash.
An earlier court hearing heard the laundry at the $1.2 million home was set up for drug processing.
The house was at the centre of Tony Mokbel's $1 million bail surety fiasco, which saw sister-in-law Renate jailed for two years for failing to pay when he fled Australia.
A tip off in September 2006 led police to a property in Parkdale belonging to Renate Mokbel's uncle, where they found large amounts of cash inside buried plastic pipes, 18 watches and 33 boxes of jewellery.
Mokbel will reappear at a later date.
Driver denies murder set-up
(The Age)
April 16, 2008
A career criminal denied setting up a former close friend to get a discounted sentence for the murder of Lewis Moran.
The criminal, who cannot be identified, nominated himself as the driver of the getaway car when Moran was murdered at the Brunswick Club on March 31, 2004.
In a Supreme Court murder trial, he saidLewis Moran had admitted killing Mr Moran.
The criminal, a serving prisoner, said Goussis told him after the murder that he had shot Mr Moran twice following a chase in the club.
He said he learned later that clothes allegedly worn by Goussis and a third man involved in the contract killing were burnt, and three guns taken to the club were either thrown into the ocean or disposed of after being dismantled.
Cross-examined by defence counsel Stephen Shirrefs, SC, the witness admitted to previous criminal offences, including manslaughter, malicious wounding, armed robbery, burglary and dishonesty crimes.
He agreed that he had spent most of his adult life in prison. He had also spent time in hospital for mental health problems.
He agreed with Mr Shirrefs that he had told lies, but denied he had set others up to take the "fall" for him.
When asked if he had lied that Goussis was involved in the Moran murder to get himself a discounted sentence, he replied: "No, I haven't'.
The criminal was giving evidence at the trial of Goussis, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Moran. He has also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Bert Wrout, who was shot by a second gunman at the Brunswick Club on March 31.
The "driver" has told the jurors and Justice Betty King that he accepted the contract to kill Mr Moran after it was suggested — and seemingly confirmed — that there was bad blood between the two men.
He said he drove the getaway car, and Goussis and the third man, armed and wearing balaclavas, went into the club.
Today, he said that underworld figure Tony Mokbel left the three killers $10,000 short from their expected $150,000 payout for murdering Mr Moran.
He said Goussis and the third man took $50,000 each, and he took $40,000.
The trial continues.
Moran ran for his life after misfire
(Herald Sun)
April 16, 2008
Lewis Moran ran for his life when the shotgun that was meant to kill him misfired, a witness hired for the alleged hit told the court today.
According to a witness, also hired to kill Moran, the shotgun malfunction forced the accused gunman to resort to a .357Magnum tucked in his pants.
The man, who can't be named, was giving evidence in the Victorian Supreme Court against his associate Evangelos Goussis, who is alleged to have shot Mr Moran in the bar of the Brunswick Club in Melbourne's inner north on March 31, 2004.
"The shotgun misfired so he shot Moran with the handgun twice," the man said.
"Moran had taken off and Ange had to run after him.
"I was told he shot (Moran) a couple of times and it was described to me that someone else may have been shot.
"There was no plan to shoot another patron; I couldn't understand what happened there."
The man, who said he acted as the getaway driver for Goussis and another man, said the weapons, which also included a 9mm Beretta, were tossed off the St Helen's Pier in Geelong after the gangland murder.
The witness said he carried out the contract murder for $150,000 which was paid for by convicted gangsters Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel.
When he collected the cash from Mokbel a few days later in a meeting in a car park behind a Brunswick hotel, he said Mokbel asked him if he would carry out more shootings for him.
"I was really a bit insulted by that," the man said.
"I was not involved in the so-called gangland war and told him there were more reasons for me to kill someone rather than just mere money."
He said when he and Goussis were counting the money, which was to be split three ways, they found they had been short-changed by $10,000.
He rang Williams who indicated that he would make good the full amount.
"I wasn't worried about the $10,000 but I made Carl Williams aware they were $10,000 short," the man said.
"He indicated that he would fix it."
The trial before Justice Betty King is continuing.
Man admits $150,000 deal to kill Lewis Moran
(Herald Sun)
April 16, 2008
A criminal who helped kill Lewis Moran was insulted when underworld figure Tony Mokbel offered him more "work" after the killing, a jury heard.
He has admitted accepting a $150,000 contract from Mokbel and Carl Williams to execute Moran.
The Supreme Court jury heard he had committed many violent crimes and was once in a rival faction to standover man Mark "Chopper" Read, but he denied being in an organised gang.
"That's a bit of Chopper Read fiction," he said.
The criminal denied he set up others to take the fall after committing crimes.
He claims he planned Moran's murder with Evangelos Goussis and another man and they did a dummy run past the Brunswick Club before carrying out the killing.
Mr Goussis has pleaded not guilty to murder.
The criminal told the jury he drove Mr Goussis and the other man to the club and waited for them while they donned balaclavas and ran into the club with guns.
The court heard he later went with Mr Goussis to collect their fee from Mokbel, who asked if he was interested in "other propositions".
"I was a little bit insulted by that," the criminal said.
"I was not involved in the so-called gangland war and I told Tony that there had to be more reasons for me to kill somebody than mere money -- not to take it that I'm involved in this war in any way, shape or form."
The pair didn't realise until they got back home that the payment was $10,000 short, the man said.
But defence counsel Stephen Shirrefs, SC, yesterday said the witness had spent half his adult life in jail and was a perjurer who would lie under oath to suit his purpose.
"You are a person, I suggest, who would set other people up to take the fall for you -- you have lied in saying my client Evangelos Goussis was involved in the murder of Lewis Moran," Mr Shirrefs said.
The man was played a CCTV tape of Moran's murder, which showed a balaclava-clad gunman bursting into the club waving a shot gun.
The gunman chased Moran before killing him.
"The shotgun misfired so (Mr Goussis) shot Moran with the handgun twice," the man told the Victorian Supreme Court via videolink.
The trial before Justice Betty King is continuing.
Speed charges for alleged Mokbel man
(Herald Sun)
April 16, 2008
An alleged associate of drug dealer Tony Mokbel briefly appeared in court charged with trafficking and manufacturing large quantities of amphetamines.
Zlate Cvetanovski, 41, of Avondale Heights is also charged with possessing more than $70,000 in alleged crime proceeds.
Cvetanovski, was remanded to reappear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court in July.
Alleged Mokbel man arrested at airport
(Daily Telegraph)
April 15, 2008
An alleged associate of convicted drug trafficker Tony Mokbel has appeared in an out-of-sessions court in Melbourne, on drugs charges.
A 41-year-old Avondale Heights man, Zlate Cvetanovski - also known as Steve - was arrested by Purana Taskforce detectives at Melbourne airport this afternoon.
He was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of methamphetamines and possessing $72,000, believed to be the proceeds of crime.
Police told the court a protected witness who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave detailed accounts of the running of two clandestine drug laboratories at Preston and Strathmore, with the help of Cvetanovski.
Police allege the unnamed witness was the main manufacturer of methamphetamines for the Mokbel syndicate.
Cvetanovski was deemed an unacceptable risk and refused bail.
No bail for Mokbel man
ABC On-Line
April 15, 2008
An alleged right hand man of a Tony Mokbel syndicate drug cook was refused bail at an out-of-sessions court hearing.
Zlate "Steve" Cvetanovski, 41, of Avondale Heights, Melbourne, is facing charges of trafficking and manufacturing a large commercial quantity of amphetamines and possessing $72,000 cash - which police allege are proceeds of crime.
Senior Detective Craig Hayes, of Purana, told last night's hearing that Mr Cvetanovski was an associate of Tony Mokbel and two of his brothers.
Tony Mokbel is in an Athens prison fighting extradition from Greece to Australia after absconding on bail from Melbourne during his 2006 drug trial. He was later 1convicted and sentenced to a minimum of nine years behind bars.
Last nights hearing was told a chief Mokbel drug cook, who could only be referred to as a "protective witness", gave "numerous statements" to police after his arrest in 2006.
Sen-Det Hayes said the "protective witness" was an integral worker "for and on behalf of the criminal enterprise revolving around the Mokbel crime syndicate".
Sen-Det Hayes told the hearing "protective witness" implicated Mr Cvetanovski in the syndicate's drug manufacturing efforts at a clandestine drug lab between 2005 and 2006.
The court heard the lab operated in a business premises in High St, Preston before being moved to Lloyd St, Strathmore.
Sen-Det Hayes said Mr Cvetanovski was paid up to $200,000 to help in the manufacture of amphetamines in High St.
Police alleged up to 260kgs of pure methylamphetamine were produced at the High St lab.
"He (Mr Cvetanovski) stated a desire to learn as much as he could about the manufacturing process," Sen-Det Hayes said.
The hearing was told Mr Cvetanovski helped move the lab to the Strathmore premises.
When police raided that lab they allegedly found mobile phones, a semi-automatic pistol and a revolver.
"The guns were in full working order," Sen-Det Hayes said.
Mr Cvetanovski said he had a sick mother and two teenage children to care for and a new business to run, but bail justice Roger Isherwood refused him bail.
The hearing was told Mr Cvetanovski had already breached existing bail conditions by moving in with his mother.
Mr Cvetanovski is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court today.
 Northern suburbs crime family in new gangland war?
April 14, 2008
Melbourne's new gangland war appears to be hotting up with gunshots fired into a house in which two members of a notorious crime family were staying. The house was then set alight.
The attack came as word spread that a northern suburbs family had moved to fill the void left by the demise of much of Melbourne's 'old school' underworld and after a member of the family, who Derryn Hinch named as Mahmoud Kiah, was shot at his home the previous week.
A man and woman asleep in the upstairs bedroom scrambled to safety out a window and down drainpipes after their two-storey home was blasted with gunfire and firebombed at 3am.
The two criminals, who were staying over at the home, were sleeping downstairs and escaped through the back door.
Between four and six shots were fired by a skinny gunman into the home in Barry Rd, Coolaroo.
He then threw a petrol bomb, which caused a large fire inside the house.
The attacker, aged about 20, escaped in a white van.
On March 29, 2008, a man was shot in Gladstone Park.
Two days later, in what is believed to be revenge, a 30-year-old Gladstone Park man, Mahmoud Kiah. was shot in the top of both legs in his driveway and taken to hospital.
Neighbours called police after hearing gunfire in Bladen Place at about 5.35pm and seeing two men fleeing into Wolverton Drive on foot.
He was treated by ambulance paramedics at the scene for a bullet wound in his thigh and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he was in a serious but stable condition.
Armed crime taskforce detectives were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shootingand appealed for witnesses to come forward who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area around the time of the incident.
"It's believed a man in his 30s has been shot in the leg and transported to hospital," a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
Kiah is a member of the now infamous crime family commonly referred to as 'The Untouchables' who, according to a caller to the Hinch program, have a 'huge family network of protection' and who, according to Age and 3AW journalist John Silvester, have a seemingly endless supply of weapons.
Silvester told 3AW's Ross and John that the violence associated with this family, who according to Silvester idolise Tony Mokbel, has been going on for a lengthy period with members of the family in and out of jail.
But he said that family members regularly receive bail and that when they are back on the street, the violence worsens.
A policeman who called the program said that the family had been involved in violent crime for several years and that numerous peolple had been shot, stabbed and bashed.
On April 12, 2008, Mark Buttler wrote in the Herald Sun about the fears of tit-for-tat violence after the shootings.
Buttler wrote that the family was involved in brutal ofences in the northwestern suburbs for years. 'Detectives believe they are linked to large-scale drug dealing, shootings, torture, witness intimidation, bashings, kidnappings, road-rage attacks, blackmail and knife crimes'.
'They have taunted police with claims that they have better guns. And their victims have been shot and attacked with machetes just for looking the wrong way'.
On April 1, 2008, the Herald Sun's Elissa Hunt wrote that police had appealed for help in breaking a code of silence that surrounds an alleged Victorian crime family dubbed "The Untouchables".
Police say victims and witnesses to the family's crimes are terrified and many refuse to assist prosecution.
Family members have allegedly shot, beaten and tortured people in the northern suburbs over two years.
The father and three sons are suspected of shootings, stabbings, armed robberies, drug trafficking, road rage, abduction, torture, bribery and blackmail.
And after they allegedly threatened to machinegun a police station, officers confiscated a machinegun.
The four now face dozens of charges, while police have seized numerous weapons, cash and drugs.
Inspector Frank Neagle said: "Witnesses won't come forward or have withdrawn (complaints) being threatened.
"They (the family) think they can intimidate everyone, even the police. They taunt the police, saying their guns and ballistic vests are better than those police have."
In one incident that has resulted in charges, a family member allegedly attacked a man with a machete at a service station because he had looked at a female passenger.
One drive-by shooting in Campbellfield was believed to have been sparked because the victim had "looked the wrong way" at the shooter.
It is understood that when banks foreclosed on two Broadmeadows houses that the family were paying off, the banks hired security guards to protect the properties.
Police are investigating the kidnapping and torture of a man who was later "dumped" at a hospital.
Insp Neagle said the family was also suspected of widespread fraud, including identity theft and false loan applications.
Northern suburbs residents were worried about the family's alleged road rage, he said.
"When they are confronted (over poor or dangerous driving) they resort to violence," Insp Neagle said.
"We appeal for people to come forward, so we can get these people and put a stop to the violence," Mr Neagle said.
On February 11, 2008, John Silvester wrote about a northern suburbs crime family who were making their presence felt in the underworld after the demise of criinals such as Tony Mokbel, Carl Williams and the Moran family.
'A police taskforce is investigating an emerging organised crime group intent on exploiting the void left by the destruction of the Tony Mokbel drug cartel', wrote Silvester.
The taskforce, code-named Lased, has unearthed evidence linking the syndicate to drug trafficking, abductions, shootings, intimidating witnesses, bribery and attempted murder.
Taskforce investigators from the crime department and Broadmeadows say the members of the Lebanese crime cell have studied law enforcement methods, have expertise in money laundering, attempt to bribe officials and regularly try to intimidate police.
"They are absolutely out of control," one detective said.
Police set up the taskforce after previous investigations into the group failed when frightened witnesses refused to co-operate.
Gang members threatened one local woman and then smashed every window in her house as a warning to remain silent.
The cell — controlled by one crime family — has been linked to attacks in Fawkner, Campbellfield, Thomastown, Broadmeadows, Gladstone Park, Glenroy, Mill Park and Coolaroo in the past two years.
In one case a pedestrian is said to have "looked the wrong way" at one of the team's gunmen, who responded by firing shots in his direction.
Police have seized at least seven handguns and a quantity of drugs from the group but say the suspects still have access to firearms.
They have also removed from a wall bullets they believe were shot next to a bound victim in a torture room.
Detectives have also recovered guns and drugs hidden in the walls of a house used by the syndicate.
The Australian Crime Commission and the Purana gangland taskforce have been asked to help establish the scope of the group's criminal activities.
The Tax Office is expected to be asked to investigate the four key family members who control the group and appear to be living beyond their means.
Police say the father is the decision-maker, his two eldest sons are the muscle and the youngest is the brains and anointed successor. They are backed by a group of subordinates, many of whom have convictions for drug trafficking and firearms offences.
Police have already made several arrests but say the cell is still operating. Investigations are continuing. Late last week more drugs were seized and another suspect charged.
Detective Acting Superintendent Phil Swindells of Region Three (Broadmeadows) said: "We hope that a number of witnesses who have been reluctant to come forward previously will co-operate now that we have made some significant arrests. We will be able to provide support for any witnesses who do come forward."
Senior police say several new groups are positioning themselves to take over areas once dominated by gangsters killed or jailed during Melbourne's underworld war.
Detective Superintendent Richard Grant (of the crime strategy group) said last year that police would move on groups trying to fill the void.
"We are in the target development phase of identifying the suspects that we should concentrate on. We will be moving on the next generation and established networks."
Mr Grant said police needed an accurate criminal intelligence bank to anticipate which criminals were likely to become major gangland influences.
 On April 16, 2008, the Herald Sun reported that senior police had been accused by one of their own of bungling an investigation into the new bloody gang war.
The Herald Sun had learned a senior investigator quit the case, accusing top police of putting petty squabbles before crime-fighting.
In an email to senior police -- including Assistant Commissioner Simon Overland -- Det-Sgt Paul Lunt of Broadmeadows withdrew from the investigation and threatened to resign over "the total incompetence of those charged with the responsibility of the management of investigations of major crime in this state".
"I can no longer stand by whilst the departmentally sanctioned spin doctors sugar coat what is a very serious gang war in the making and letting a very dangerous family run amok without proper co-ordinated attention," he wrote.
Det-Sgt Lunt wrote that local police had asked for help from the Australian Crime Commission and the Purana Taskforce in the investigation's early stages and had not received a reply.
He said the Victoria Police armed crime taskforce had become involved recently.
"None of you have obviously learned lessons from what come (sic) out of Purana," he wrote.
"The only difference here is that no one has died. And that is only good luck, not good management.
"But you're all more worried about your petty squabbles over staff ownership and whether you may get criticised in the media."
Senior police last night defended their record, saying Operation Lased had achieved some outstanding results and heavily disrupted criminal activity in the area.
Supt Richard Grant, who was one of the officers who received the email, said there had been three significant arrests in the past week bringing the total arrest tally to about 20 in the past six months.
"Victoria Police respects the right of its members to express their opinions and concerns to their managers and members of senior command. However, it is confident that it is effectively managing the ongoing investigation known as Operation Lased.
"A number of key arrests and firearms and drug seizures is evidence that this highly targeted approach is having a major impact."
Supt Grant said Victoria Police believed enough resources had been committed to the operation so far but, if necessary, more resources would be provided in the future.
Police Association secretary Sen-Sgt Paul Mullett said Det-Sgt Lunt's attack was proof the force's major crime management model had been an "abject failure".
Sen-Sgt Mullett said the situation sounded like an episode of Yes Minister.
"This is another example of our members crying for help. The member is right. Victoria Police is being more run by spin-doctoring and propaganda these days," he said.
Sen-Sgt Mullett said Det-Sgt Lunt was a dedicated policeman who, he hoped, would not be made to pay for his comments.
On April 17, 2008, two men were arrested over the driveway shooting of Mahmoud Kiah.
Armed Crime Task Force members and Special Operations Group police arrested a 26-year-old Port Melbourne man and a 35-year-old man early in the day.
The arrested pair have been charged with illegally possessing firearms.
More on 'The Untouchables'.
Career criminal tells why he shot Lewis Moran
(Herald Sun)
April 14, 2008
One of Lewis Moran's killers agreed to murder him because he thought the target had taken out a contract on his life, a jury heard.
The career criminal who plotted Moran's murder and allegedly drove two gunmen to the March 2004 shooting, told the Supreme Court he was convinced the 58-year-old was trying to have him killed.
The criminal, who can't be named, said he was offered $150,000 by crime bosses Tony Mokbel and Carl Williams to kill Moran during Melbourne's gangland war.
He told the jury he was introduced to Williams by Evangelos Goussis, who is accused of being the gunman who chased and executed Moran at the Brunswick Club while a second shooter guarded the doorway.
The criminal said relations between himself and members of the Carlton Crew -- which included Mick Gatto and Lewis Moran -- had soured after he heard of a plan to kill Mr Gatto but apparently failed to warn the former boxer quickly enough.
When he met Williams in early 2004, he was told of rumours Moran had taken out a contract on him. He was then invited to kill Moran on behalf of Williams and Mokbel, who would split the $150,000 fee.
The criminal said Williams outlined Moran's routine, including what time he usually arrived at the Brunswick Club and where he stood.
But he initially declined the deal, saying he was taken aback at the suggestion Moran was trying to have him murdered, and wanted to check for himself if it were true.
"If I found out it's true, I'd rather get paid for doing it rather than doing it for nothing," he said.
He rang Moran at the Brunswick Club and asked if they had "bad blood".
"Using expletives he told me to eff off, there's no talking," the criminal said.
The call convinced him "something needed to be done", and he accepted the contract, with Mr Goussis and another man to also take part.
Mr Goussis, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Moran and the attempted murder of Bert Wrout, who was wounded by the second gunman.
The trial before Justice Betty King is continuing.
Moran shooting 'payback' for 'Benji'
(The Age)
April 14, 2008
Carl Williams wanted Lewis Moran killed to send a "payback" message over the death of an associate, a confessed hitman told a Supreme Court jury.
Giving evidence via videolink, the lifelong criminal said Williams wanted the contract killing to go ahead as soon as possible after the funeral of his friend Andrew Veniamin.
Moran was killed on March 31, 2004, a day after Veniamin's funeral. The witness, who cannot be identified, said he was worried about police surveillance being conducted on underworld figures after Veniamin's funeral.
But he said Williams, speaking in code, wanted the "hit" to go ahead as soon as possible after Veniamin's wake. "That was because I believe Carl Williams wanted it to be a message in relation to a payback for Veniamin," he said.
Prosecutor Andrew Tinney asked what Williams indicated to him in the call. The criminal replied: "Go ahead, it's still sweet." The witness said he had contacted Williams by public telephone to see if a $150,000 contract to kill Moran was still viable.
He was giving evidence at the trial of Evangelos Goussis, 40, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Moran at the Brunswick Club. The jurors and Justice Betty King have been told Moran, 58, was shot by a masked gunman at the club, where he was drinking with his friend Bert Wrout. Goussis has also pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Wrout, who was shot by a second gunman.
The jurors have been told that the Moran killing took place in the context of the so-called gangland war between the Carlton Crew, which featured Mick Gatto and the Moran family; and another group, featuring Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel.
The witness said he had been close to Goussis and a third man, who were involved in the plan to kill Moran.
He said Goussis was to run into the club, where Moran regularly drank, and shoot him, while the third man would follow Goussis and "watch his back". The career criminal would drive the getaway car. The witness said he and the third man had health problems, and he (the witness) had been to the club a couple of times and believed he might have been identified.
He said he had been friendly with Mick Gatto, but the relationship soured when the witness apparently did not act quickly enough when he told Mr Gatto about a plot to kill him.
The witness said Carl Williams indicated in a telephone conversation he heard there was "bad blood" between him and the Carlton Crew.
In a separate face-to-face conversation about nine or 10 days before Moran's death, Williams alleged a contract had been taken out on the witness because he had problems with Moran. The witness said he was taken aback by the suggestion, and was asked if he was interested in a $150,000 contract to kill Moran. The witness told Mr Tinney that Goussis and the third man were interested in being involved.
The trial continues.
Gatto: there's no cash
(Herald Sun)
April 12, 2008
The Australian Taxation Office has launched an investigation into the "colourful
identities" embroiled in the failed stockbroker Opes Prime saga.
The probe comes as underworld identity Mick Gatto
returns to Australia without any money for victims of the collapse.
He flew first class to Singapore this week vowing
to come back with suitcases full of cash.
But he said last night there was nothing for
investors in Singapore.
"The money is all gone," he said.
"We are coming back without anything."
Mr Gatto said Singapore directors of Opes were
living in rented houses and had produced records showing how shareholder funds
had been wiped out by falling stockmarkets.
"We failed to find anything because there is
nothing there."
Tax Office bosses ordered the investigation after
allegations of share price manipulation and clandestine companies and identities
being set up to disguise the owners of shares in some companies.
In other developments yesterday:
TWO luxury cars were seized by Opes receivers in
Australia as well as five in Singapore. The sale proceeds of another luxury car
sold in Australia were also seized.
PRIVATE investors have been offering to buy penny
dreadful stock ANZ Bank has been stuck with for a fraction of its worth.
Investors believe if they can get the stock at a discount they will be able to
sell it for a profit over an extended period.
Mr Gatto's associate John Khoury claimed the
mission could still be ranked a success because it had sped up the discovery
process.
"We have fast-tracked everything," he
said.
"These guys (Jay Moghe) came forward and put
their hand up.
"Hopefully the investors do get more than
the 30 cents in the dollar.
"They are very happy." he said of the
six investors who had engaged Mr Gatto to chase funds.
Mr Gatto would not say whether he would continue
his hunt for the money upon his return but hinted he would look at Sydney lawyer
Chris Murphy's Opes debts.
Mr Murphy is believed to be one of Opes's biggest
debtors.
"When we get to Melbourne we are going to
see what happens from there," Mr Gatto said.
"At this stage we are closing our books here
(in Singapore)."
Gatto meets Opes Prime team
(Herald Sun)
April 11, 2008
Mick Gatto caught up with Opes Prime key player Jay Moghe in Singapore last night in an attempt to recover creditors' money.
Mr Moghe was accompanied by Opes Prime figures Gordon Brown and Raj Maiden.
Originally scheduled to take place at the 60th floor luxury bar of the Swissotel the Stamford, the private meeting was reportedly moved twice before the group settled in for a chat.
When they emerged, Gatto told the Herald Sun Mr Moghe had been very transparent.
"He took us through ABC and we are satisfied they have done the right thing," he said. "They have reported everything to the authorities."
Gatto said the $100 million moved through Mr Moghe's company, Riqueza BVI, without his knowledge.
When asked for proof, Gatto said it would all come out in the wash.
Mr Gatto and associate John Khoury have a list of others they say may hold important information about key accounts Opes Prime moved money into in a bid to prevent fatal margin calls last month.On it are two Collins St traders, one who they say handled up to 100 per cent loans for $21 million in small mining stocks, and another who handled up to $4 million.
They also want to speak with a Sydney shareholder who had more than $100 million in shares.
But one broker who knows two of those on Mr Gatto's list said neither would have access to the large sums of money transacted and were only conducting trades on behalf of Opes and clients.
"These were second tier guys . . . they used to trade shares, and that was it," the broker said.
Extradition means mental torture, says Tony Mokbel
(Herald Sun)
April 11, 2008
Tony Mokbel claims he would be treated like a Guantanamo Bay terror suspect if returned to Victoria, an international court has been told.
Mokbel's submission to the European Court of Human Rights says he would be subjected to death threats and mental torture if sent back.
The court has been asked to formally request the Greek Government not to extradite him to Melbourne, where he faces up to 20 charges related to drug importations and the death of two underworld rivals.
Mokbel, 42, absconded while on bail in a Supreme Court drug trial in Melbourne. He was later sentenced in his absence to a minimum nine years behind bars and is in a Greek jail waiting for the Greek Government to sign extradition papers for his return to Australia.
But Mokbel's application, received yesterday by the court and seen by the Herald Sun, asks for provisional postponement on grounds of potential violation of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture) of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Article 3 prohibits "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment", torture and cases of "severe police violence", and has been cited by terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay at the hands of US authorities.
Mokbel's application says his extradition would result in the great likelihood Australian authorities would apply such "prohibited treatment".
"Mr Mokbel's life is in jeopardy, due to daily threats towards him," it states.
His application cites an international court case, Vilho Eskelinen v. Finland, which a year ago led to a change in international case law regarding rights to a fair hearing in an adequate time frame.
Mokbel has in the past month claimed his life was at risk by corrupt Victorian police and criminals, who he alleges are scared of him revealing details of their activities.
His lawyer, Chirdaris Vassilis, said yesterday he had proof Mokbel's human rights were in danger if he returned to Victoria, but the case would be tough to prove.
"We are not ambitious for a decision in favour of Mr Mokbel," Mr Vassilis said.
"However, we have specific facts that a clear violation against Mr Mokbel's rights that are protected by the European Convention of Human Rights, has occurred."
The case will be reviewed by a panel of three judges and a decision is expected in 15 to 20 days.
Mounting a challenge to the Strasbourg-based European court has been the latest in a series of legal manoeuvres Mokbel has tried since the fugitive was arrested by Victorian detectives at an Athens cafe last year.
Mokbel 'crony' on drug rap
(Herald Sun)
April 11, 2008
A suspected associate of Tony Mokbel arrested at Melbourne University has been given bail on drugs charges.
Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard that Graeme Smith, 47, was supplied with suspected drug-making chemicals, equipment and cash by Mokbel and his associates.
Mr Smith, of North Carlton, faced the court accused of involvement in a suspected drug laboratory at Toolern Vale, near Melton.
The court heard that Mr Smith, an IT support specialist at Melbourne University, was employed by Mokbel in early 2005 to manufacture methylamphetamine.
Sen-Det Katherine Underwood, of the Purana Taskforce, gave evidence that Mr Smith, Mokbel and others made the drug at the Toolern Vale property over two days.
She said a second lab was set up in Springvale.
Sen-Det Underwood said Mr Smith spent a month at Toolern Vale doing drug experiments and research.
Mr Smith and a co-accused made three litres of liquid amphetamine, Sen-Det Underwood said.
She said that in June 2005, Mr Smith made a 17-second phone call from Toolern Vale to his home address.
Sen-Det Underwood said a police search of the Springvale lab uncovered a .22 calibre revolver, eight litres of methylamphetamine, caustic soda, and some prohibited pre-cursor chemicals.
She said analysis of a piece of glassware found among a trailer-load of funnels and vessels at the Springvale property was matched to Mr Smith.
The court heard Mr Smith's two co-accused had earlier been granted bail.
Police did not oppose his bail application.
Mr Smith faces three charges, including trafficking and attempting to traffic a large commercial quantity of amphetamine between March and August 2005, and possessing amphetamine between June and July 2005.
Magistrate Jonathan Klestadt fixed bail on strict conditions, including a $60,000 surety and that he report to police and surrender his passport.
He said that in fairness, Mr Smith should not be denied bail when his co-accused -- who are facing more charges -- were granted it.
 Wrout lost memory
(Herald Sun)
April 10, 2008
A drinking mate of Lewis Moran who was wounded in the shooting that killed his friend is suffering post-traumatic amnesia, the Supreme Court heard.
The jury was told Herbert Wrout (left) was unfit to give evidence because he was suffering a number of health issues.
Justice Betty King told the jury Mr Wrout's amnesia meant he had no memory of the event on March 31, 2004, that killed his friend.
"To put him through the ordeal of giving evidence and saying 'I just can't remember' to things put to him just doesn't serve a useful purpose," she said.
Evangelos Goussis, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Moran, 58, and to the attempted murder of Mr Wrout.
The court has heard two balaclava-clad gunman burst into the Brunswick Club as Moran and Mr Wrout drank at their usual spot at the bar.
One gunman, allegedly Mr Goussis, chased Moran through the club and shot him dead.
The other stood in the doorway and fired the shots that hit Mr Wrout.
The jury heard that four days before the Moran shooting an agitated man threatened staff at the Sydney Rd pub.
Staff member Sally Davis said the man, in his 50s, was asked to leave when he began swearing loudly on his mobile phone.
"Amongst what he said was, 'I'm not scared of the Morans, f--- the Morans, I'm not a narc, Lewis is not a narc'," Ms Davis told the court.
"I don't know why he brought that up; there was no reason for it. It's not like Lewis was standing at the end of the bar, or anything, at that time.
"Lewis wasn't there so there was no reason for this guy to say anything about what he said about the Morans. It wasn't connected. It wasn't related to anything."
The court heard that as the man left the club with a woman he said: "Wouldn't f-----g come back here anyway. Watch your backs."
Ms Davis said she marked the security footage and kept it because she was worried about the incident. "It was quite scary. It was very, very strange and very scary."
The court heard the tape was given to police after Moran's shooting and used in their investigation.
A career criminal, who the jury heard would give evidence central to the trial, took police through a videotaped re-enactment of what allegedly happened at the club.
Sen-Det David Leveridge said the man also led them to a beach where he said he had dumped his clothes from the night in a bin and threw the guns used off a pier. But the jury heard a dive team could not find the weapons.
The trial before Justice King continues.
Gatto in hunt but off mark
(Herald Sun)
April 9, 2008
Mick Gatto flew
first-class into Singapore last night, claiming to be hunting millions owed to
victims of stockbroker Opes Prime.
But the man disgruntled investors are believed to
be paying him to find, Jay Moghe, was 2500km away at a conference in Macau.
And Mr Moghe told the Herald Sun he was
unaware of Mr Gatto's mission to Singapore.
"I've nothing to hide," he said.
"I'm happy to talk to anyone."
The sole shareholder and director of a company, Riqueza, now at the centre of the Opes collapse, he said he was unaware of
irregular transactions between it and the Melbourne-based broker.
"The movements of whatever cash and stock in
and out of these (Riqueza) accounts was not anything to do with me," he
said. "I was effectively acting as a nominee for the Opes directors.
"I'm disappointed, and shattered," he
said.
Administrator John Lindholm yesterday laughed off
Mr Gatto's claims that he had more chance than lawyers and administrators of
getting back investors' money.
He said anyone who gave Mr Gatto money would
still be pursued by legal means and have to hand over twice as much.
Debts would only be discharged when money was
paid to the administrator.
Opes creditors were told yesterday they could
expect to lose 70 per cent of their money once secured creditors, including the
ANZ Bank and Merrill Lynch, got their money.
The broker collapsed after a handful of wealthy
clients suffered losses totalling $128 million.
Mr Gatto told the Herald Sun last night
he believed he had a good chance of getting the money back. He's refused to say
who he is acting for.
He is with associates Matt Tomas and John Khoury.
Mr Khoury, once a Metro nightclub owner, is believed to have lost $1 million in
Opes.
Another close friend, State Security investment
adviser and former joint Metro owner Tom Karas, said he had moved money out
before the collapse after hearing rumours. But it was unclear last night whether
his money, in a clearing account within Opes, was safe.
In other developments:
A HEROIN trafficker and former strip club owner
said he'd been about to invest $50,000 through the broker but filled in
paperwork incorrectly.
THE Australian Securities and Investments
Commission is believed to be investigating claims that parties with links to
Melbourne's underworld were using Opes to illegally "wash trade"
shares.
Wash trading involves buying and selling shares
to give an appearance of investor interest in a company, to encourage others.
The wash traders then sell their shares to the tricked investors at inflated
prices.
Gatto joins the money hunt
April 7, 2008
A director of failed stockbroker Opes Prime has been ordered by a judge not to leave Australia as fresh allegations emerge of manipulation and cover-ups in the lead-up to the firm's dramatic collapse.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission yesterday obtained a Federal Court order forcing Opes Prime director Julian Smith to surrender his passport — days before he had planned to go on a holiday to Fiji.
The order came on the eve of a series of meetings today in which hundreds of angry Opes Prime clients who are owed more than $500 million will be given an update on the fate of their savings by the firm's administrators.
As yesterday's court drama unfolded, The Age also learned that Melbourne underworld identity Mick Gatto had intervened in the collapse on behalf of an anonymous group of investors trying to recoup their losses.
The attached photo showa Opes Prime co-founderLirim "Laurie" Emini(left), fellow directorJulian Smith (right) and Mick Gatto(centre), who says hehas intervened torecover money onbehalf of anonymousinvestors.
Mr Gatto will fly to Singapore today with a business associate to pursue the Opes Prime money trail, but has declined to reveal who he will be seeing there or who he is representing.
Mr Gatto's private company, Arbitrations & Mediations — which he says makes "problems disappear" — has in the past been engaged to deal with feuds on Melbourne construction sites.
Yesterday, Mr Gatto told The Age: "These Opes Prime clients can take their chances and lose all their money to lawyers and to the receivers, or they can take their chances with me to extract a return on their behalf.
"The proof is in the pudding with me. I solve problems … It's my way or the highway".
Barrister Nicola Gobbo confirmed that Mr Gatto — the man who shot dead underworld hitman Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in 2004 and was later acquitted of murder on the grounds of self-defence — would be travelling overseas to try to track down money and shares related to Opes Prime.
Asked about Mr Gatto's clients, she said: "Some would be described as business people, if you very loosely used the term 'business people'."
It is believed that Mr Gatto may also go to the British Virgin Islands, depending on how he fares in Singapore.
ASIC has been examining transactions between a company registered in the British Virgin Islands and accounts linked with Sydney solicitor Chris Murphy, a major client of Opes Prime. The Virgin Islands company has an office in Singapore.
Last week, an affidavit sworn by senior ASIC investigator Richard Vandeloo alleged that Opes Prime director Lirim "Laurie" Emini directed staff to transfer shares or cash between the Virgin Island company's account and accounts operated by Mr Murphy or other Opes clients.
Yesterday, the regulator said fellow director Mr Smith may have been involved in covering up massive losses for certain clients just before the stockbroking firm collapsed two weeks ago, owing more than $1 billion.
ASIC has also made fresh allegations about "double-counting" of shares, a practice it says shielded a handful of favoured clients from losing millions of dollars against their rapidly deteriorating share portfolios.
Mr Emini consented last week to a court order barring him from leaving the country until October 3.
Late yesterday, ASIC obtained urgent orders from Justice Ray Finkelstein in the Federal Court forcing Sydney-based Mr Smith to hand over his passport. He had booked a 10-day holiday in Fiji with his family and was due to leave on April 13.
On Thursday, he agreed to ASIC's request that he hand over his passport, but on Friday his lawyers withdrew the offer, saying ASIC had no power to request the travel documents. Mr Smith declined to comment last night.
ASIC last week told the Federal Court that initial investigations and interviews with an Opes employee had uncovered "systematic manipulation" of share-trading accounts.
Yesterday, in support of its travel ban against Mr Smith, Mr Vandeloo outlined how shares held in an Opes account, identified only as "EE", were lent to a company called Leveraged Capital Pty Ltd, then routed through a company registered in the British Virgin Islands before being delivered back to Opes.
Leveraged Capital is jointly owned by Mr Emini and Mr Smith. Its registered office is at the same address as the Babo Group accounting firm in Cramer Street, Preston.
In his affidavit, Mr Vandeloo said there was some "double-counting" of shares in the EE account, and that the effect of this "was to avoid margin calls on certain client accounts".
He said Mr Emini and Mr Smith were suspected of having "an interest" in another account identified as "BB", which had defaulted on paying $38 million. It was suspected that the default had been concealed before the failure of Opes Prime.
 Meanwhile, the fallout from the collapse has spread, with the ANZ bank partly blaming its exposure to the broker for a $1 billion bad debts problem.
One of Gatto's associates who left the country with him was John Khoury (left) who said a few friendly words to the media as did Gatto. The two men were wearing bright t-shirts with large A-Team type emblems on their fronts.
The other man was longtime friend and business associate, Matt Thomas (right).
Before the trio boarded a flight for Sinapore Mr Gatto was coy on the issue of their overseas dealings.
While he did not have any money tied up with Opes, many of his friends had hundreds of millions of dollars frozen inside the company, which collapsed last month.
He said he and his associates would "give it a shake".
"I really can't divulge too much at this point," Mr Gatto told a throng of reporters at Melbourne airport.
"We're going to do our best. Hopefully we recover whatever we can from them. There's a lot better chance with us than anyone else, I guarantee you."
And the trio were confident of success
Mr Gatto said he hoped he would need a "tip truck" to bring investors' money back to Australia.
"A percentage of something is better than nothing," he said.
"And whatever that percentage is depends on how much we're chasing.
"It happens every one or two years - long, drawn out affairs that the solicitors and the lawyers end up with all the money and the poor investor gets nothing."
Mr Gatto told 3AW radio this morning that he was travelling on behalf of his own and "another couple" of companies.
"I've been known to fix up sticky problems as you're aware. A couple of people have approached us and asked us if we could assist them and we said we're interested," he said.
"We're certainly not police, we're not there to uncover any fraud, we just want to recoup the money and do the right thing by everybody."
 High-profile victims of the Opes Prime collapse include Sydney lawyer-turned-investor Chris Murphy (left), who is believed to have lost more than $100 million, and Olympic hero Herb Elliott, who lost more than $20 million.
Mr Gatto was reluctant to go into specifics on who his clients were and how much they were owed, but he did claim that the amount missing was far higher than the figure that has been made public.
"My role purely is to help these investors for a minimal upfront fee," he said.
"The services we provide are simple - we go and see the client, we say we really think that you should pay, it's all done amicably and nine times out of 10 it's settled.
"The client's happy, we're happy and of course the bloke that owes the money is happy to get that weight off his chest."
Mr Gatto yesterday told The Australian that he believed the amount owed to be over $1 billion, and that he had "a good track record of tracking things down".
Mr Gatto would not reveal the countries he planned to visit outside of Singapore or say how long he would be away.
Opes Prime had operations that spanned Singapore and the Middle East.
"It's not just Singapore, we'll be darting around all different countries," said Gatto this morning. "All roads lead to Rome as they say, wherever the job takes us we'll go."
 Moran murder footage shown to court
(Herald Sun)
April 7, 2008
Underworld figure Lewis Moran cowered in a corner as a masked gunman shot him, a jury heard today.
As the trial that stopped Victorians watching the Underbelly TV series began in the Supreme Court, jurors viewed security video of Moran's final moments before he was gunned down in the Brunswick Club four years ago.
The black and white video shows two gunmen wearing balaclavas entering the club and one armed with a shotgun chasing Moran, who tried to escape past a row of poker machines only to be trapped. The shot above shows a gunman's hand in the bottom left-hand corner. In it is a gun pointed at Wrout. Another gunman is alleged to have chased Lewis Moran to the rear and left.
As Moran cowered in a corner, his attacker, having dispensed with the shotgun, shot him with a large-calibre pistol.
As Moran slumped to the floor, his attacker leaned forward and fired another shot.
"Mr Moran was a sitting duck," prosecutor Andrew Tinney told the jury.
Evangelos Goussis 40, has pleaded not guilty to Moran's murder and to the attempted murder of Herbert Wrout, who was shot by the second gunman but survived.
Several people gasped as the video was played to the court, including Moran's widow, Judy.
But the jury was warned not to allow the graphic video, or their prejudices about the people involved in Melbourne's gangland war, to influence them and to judge the case only on the evidence.
In his opening address, Mr Tinney told the jurors they would enter a world vastly different from their own as the trial progressed.
"It is a world of gangland intrigue and violence," he told them.
Mr Tinney said that criminal identities Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel had wanted Moran, 58, dead and they got their wish after offering a $150,000 contract on his life.
"In Victoria at that time there were men around who were willing to do the bidding of the likes of Carl Williams . . . for money . . . or simply because they were asked to do it by such a powerful individual," he said.
Mr Tinney said that a career criminal, who could not be named for legal reasons, was the getaway driver and his evidence would be central to the trial.
He said the criminal would say that he and Mr Goussis and another man, accepted the contract to kill Moran and did surveillance on the Brunswick Club in Sydney Rd in the days before the killing.
Mr Tinney said Moran was a sitting duck because he always attended the club around the same time and sat in the same spot.
On the day of the shooting, he said, the criminal drove the two shooters to the hotel and parked in a lane.
He said the pair donned balaclavas and walked inside the hotel.
Moran saw them enter and as one gunman stood at the door Mr Goussis allegedly – wearing a long dark coat and brandishing a shotgun – chased him through another room before Moran bumped "slap bang" into bar manager Sandra Sugars.
She was only inches away when Moran was shot in the head, Mr Tinney said.
The witness said he was told Mokbel and Williams would pay half each, and after the shooting Williams rang saying, "Good one mate, you have 150,000 reasons to smile".
The witness later met Mokbel, who paid him his fee – but was $10,000 short.
Defence barrister Stephen Shirrefs, SC, said the star witness was known for making up stories, was not credible and had falsely implicated his client.
The trial before Justice Betty King is continuing.
 Mokbel associate jailed for 10 years
(The Age)
April 7, 2008
One of the closest confidants of drug baron Tony Mokbel has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for drug trafficking and other offences.
Joseph Mansour, 29, pleaded guilty to six offences.
In sentencing Mansour on Monday, Justice Betty King said he had been "totally under the spell of Tony Mokbel".
"You developed total dependence on Mr Mokbel," Justice King said.
"You put Mr Mokbel on a pedestal ... you were out of touch with reality."
In his role as one of the more prominent members of Mokbel's criminal group known as The Company, Mansour assisted his boss's escape from Australia and supplied money to him while on the run in Greece.
Among his charges was one of knowingly dealing with $4.2 million which were the proceeds of crime.
He was sentenced to 10 years, to serve a minimum of seven.
Mansour acted as Mokbel's right-hand man in Australia, distributing funds at his request, organising the manufacture of amphetamines and supply of chemicals.
The Supreme Court heard a loyal band of Mokbel men, known as The Company, made 42kg of methylamphetamine with a wholesale value of $4.2 million and a street value "in the tens of millions of dollars".
Justice King said Mokbel may have been starved of resources and funds required to flee the country and maintain his lifestyle in Greece had it not been for The Company.
The court heard Mansour knew Mokbel was preparing to leave Australia and organised more than $100,000 to be delivered to his Bonnie Doon hideout.
Justice King said Mokbel oversaw the drug operation after absconding on bail during his drug trial by keeping in contact with Mansour on a mobile phone.
"One thing is clear and that is that the major beneficiary of this organisation was Antonios Mokbel," she said.
Justice King said The Company operated like a legitimate business, keeping track of customers, monitoring the quality of their goods and updating detailed account books.
The court heard the generous profits of the drug trafficking were handed out at Mokbel's request, including $60,000 to de facto Danielle McGuire, a $2000 birthday gift to her mother and $10,000 to Mokbel's mother at Christmas.
Thousands of dollars were transferred to Greek accounts for Mokbel's use.
Mansour pleaded guilty to trafficking in methylamphetamine and ecstasy, dealing in proceeds of crime and dealing with restrained property.
Justice King rejected Mansour's claims that he was under Mokbel's "spell", saying his drug trafficking increased during 2006 when the two were out of contact.
But she said Mansour deserved a significant discount for undertaking to give evidence against his associates.
 Action against murder-probe officer stymied
(The Age)
April 7, 2008
Attempts to take action against a controversial policeman at the centre of a murder investigation have been thwarted because he is on sick leave and refuses to attend an internal discipline hearing.
Detective Sergeant Peter "Stash" Lalor has been charged with disgraceful conduct over internal emails attacking the then president of the Police Association. But his case, which was due to be heard last month by Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontane, may be delayed indefinitely.
Sergeant Lalor was suspended on full pay in September after the police taskforce Operation Briars found evidence linking him to a hitman who confessed to the murder of male prostitute Shane Chartres-Abbott.
The hitman, who has since confessed and been sentenced for the 2003 murder, has told police that Sergeant Lalor found the victim's address and provided the gunman with a false alibi for the day of the killing.
While the murder probe continues, Sergeant Lalor faces the sack on the unrelated internal email charges. He was alleged to have used the alias Kit Walker to spread emailed rumours about Sergeant Janet Mitchell as part of an internal Police Association power struggle.
Sergeant Lalor was a Police Association delegate and close ally of union secretary Paul Mullett. The email scandal and the murder probe became intertwined during hearings of the Office of Public Integrity in November when claims were heard that Sergeant Lalor was tipped off about the Briars probe.
The OPI claims Mr Mullett was leaked information on Briars and then warned Sergeant Lalor of the investigation. Mr Mullett says he had a message passed to Sergeant Lalor warning him to "be careful who he talked to" but only in relation to the Kit Walker claims.
Colleagues say Sergeant Lalor knows he is unlikely to ever be allowed to return to duty. He has been working in the building industry following his suspension.
Days before his discipline hearing was due to be heard on March 24 he obtained a medical certificate stating he was ill and unfit to attend. The hearing has been rescheduled for mid-April if he is well enough to attend. But senior police are also examining whether it can go ahead in his absence if he again produces a medical certificate.
In an OPI report on the police internal discipline system, director George Brouwer found some suspects tried to delay hearings as long as possible.
"One way members avoid disciplinary proceedings is to leave work on WorkCover, or take sick or other leave. When this happens, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to tell whether the member is suffering a genuine stress-induced medical condition or is malingering to avoid the consequences of the hearing," he found.
"Those members are also likely to know that the longer the process takes the weaker the supporting evidence for it is likely to be. Sadly these tactics are often successful, reflecting poorly on the integrity of the system as much as the integrity of the member."
Senior police say a suspiciously large number of officers have received medical certificates from one doctor with a reputation for being sympathetic to stress claims. Sergeant Lalor's sick-leave certificate was signed by another doctor and is not stress related.
Operation Briars found that he and former detective David "Docket" Waters regularly drank with the hitman in a Carlton hotel.
Senior police plan to introduce an improper-association rule forcing officers to declare any links to criminals.
Police were to hold a protest rally at Rod Laver Arena the following day to discuss issues including the improper-association rule, declaring it "puts relationships with your partner, parents and children under scrutiny".
Supergrass set to return
(Herald Sun)
April 3, 2008
One of the nation's most wanted fugitives is set to return to Australia to give evidence against former underworld associates and high-profile celebrity cocaine clients.
The convicted drug dealer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in the Netherlands last December after more than three years on the run.
The 40-year-old man, whose name was earlier suppressed by a Victorian court, appeared before a Dutch court yesterday where formal extradition to Australia was approved.
Schiphol-oost Department of Haarlam Court, west of Amsterdam, was told the man had until April 15 to lodge an appeal, but unless an appeal was filed, he would be flown home to Melbourne to face charges related to his alleged drug smuggling.
His lawyer said his client had yet to decide whether he would fight the extradition order, which the lawyer said was a possibility since his client feared for his safety if he were forced to return.
The man had a bounty on his head in Australia after it became known he had become a police supergrass and had been secretly recording crime figures, including fellow former fugitive and crime boss Tony Mokbel for police.
He fled overseas in May 2004, after underworld figures offered $1 million for his execution, despite promising police he would enter the witness box and name names.
It is understood among those he was prepared to give up were Mokbel, other crime associates and his former cocaine clients, including a string of household names from leading rock artists and high-profile actors to AFL players and several lawyers and socialites.
The man has also moved about in A-list circles.
The supergrass, who in Australia once ran one of the biggest ecstasy operations in the country, was arrested at Amsterdam international airport as he tried to fly out of Holland.
His arrest followed months of tracking by the Australian Federal Police in association with Victoria Police.
Mokbel has been fighting extradition from Greece, where he was arrested last year, on the grounds the case against him was based on the police informer whose evidence was yet to be tested in court.
Mokbel's lawyers described the latest development as "interesting".
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