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Second person freed over Lawyer X scandal
A gangland figure, who spent almost a decade behind bars, has become the second person to be acquitted over the Lawyer X scandal after a Court of Appeal judge found that his initial prosecution was a “substantial miscarriage of justice”.
Naomi Neilson
Victorian gangland figure Zlate Cvetanovski was freed from a prison sentence almost a decade after he was prosecuted for drug trafficking on the word of a drug cook, who cannot be named, and the influence of former criminal barrister Nicola Gobbo.
Justice Chris Maxwell said: “We are satisfied that the Crown’s concessions are made, that the appeal be allowed, the conviction quashed and a verdict of acquittal entered.”
Justice Maxwell found that Mr Cooper’s evidence was central to the prosecution case against Mr Cvetanovski and addressed $20,000 in payments made from the police to Mr Cooper. Justice Maxwell said the non-disclosure of these payments, made for his willingness to incriminate, meant the jury could not make a proper assessment.
In exchange for Mr Cooper’s evidence, Victoria Police were paying him $240 a month into his prison canteen account, as well as a lump-sum payment. Between 2003 and 2012, Mr Cooper received the $20,000 for evidence that would be used against more than 20 people, including Victorian underworld figure Tony Mokbel.
Inquiries from Victoria Police to Corrections Victoria – provided to the inquiry into the management of Ms Gobbo – revealed that payments to Mr Cooper were made by four individuals, including Ms Gobbo and an unnamed family member. The payments had the approval of the Purana Taskforce and detective inspector Jim O'Brien.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
