The prison sentence of one of Victoria's most notorious gangland figures, drug trafficker Tony Mokbel, has been reduced following the quashing of one of his convictions due to the Lawyer X scandal.
In 2012, Mokbel was sentenced to 30 years' jail with a minimum term of 22 years.
However, he appealed a conviction for drug importation after it was revealed his lawyer Nicola Gobbo — also known as Lawyer X — was a police informer.
That conviction was quashed in 2020, though he remained in prison for other drug offences.
The Court of Appeal today varied the sentence, to a total of 26 years with a non-parole period of 20 years.
It means with time already served, Mokbel could be released in less than nine years.
Mokbel was hospitalised last week, but appeared at today's hearing via video link from Barwon Prison.
He did not address the court.
Mokbel fled to Greece in 2006 while on trial for cocaine importation.
He hid in Bonnie Doon in Central Victoria, before being driven to Western Australia. From there, he sailed a yacht to Greece.
He was arrested by Greek police in a cafe in a seaside suburb of Athens in June 2007, 15 months after fleeing Melbourne.
Mokbel has had a series of health issues in prison and in 2019 was critically injured after he was stabbed by two inmates at the maximum-security Barwon Prison.
In reducing his sentence, the three appeal court judges took into account that assault, his health and COVID-19 restrictions whilst he had been in custody.
