Lawyer X's appeal was rejected by the drug lord who smuggled 15 million drugs in tomato tins

Supergrass barrister Nicola Gobbo provided confidential documents from her gangland client, Rob Karam, to the police, leading to the discovery of the world's then-largest import of 15 million ecstasy pills. However, Victoria's highest court rejected Karam's attempt to overturn his conviction, where he claimed that his lawyer's actions were instrumental in his downfall. Karam is currently serving a 35-year sentence for trafficking ecstasy, involving a 4.4-ton shipment of pills disguised in tomato tins, orchestrated by the Calabrian Mafia in 2007.

During a royal commission into Gobbo, known as Lawyer X, the gangland barrister turned police informant, it was revealed that Karam left documents, including a bill of lading for the pill shipment, with Gobbo for safekeeping while she served as his lawyer. Gobbo, without Karam's knowledge, shared the copied paperwork with the police, translating it for investigators, who then forwarded it to the Australian Federal Police. She subsequently billed Karam $550 for her appearance in a bail application after his arrest in connection with the drug import.

Karam sought to have his convictions overturned, including separate ones for trafficking ecstasy, conspiracy to possess cocaine, and conspiracy to import pseudoephedrine. The Court of Appeal in Victoria permitted him to appeal but ultimately decided to dismiss all appeals, determining that while grounds for permission to appeal existed, the appeals themselves should be rejected.

Notably, Karam is one of over 30 individuals convicted in the case involving the tomato tin drug import. Several high-profile gangland figures, including Tony Mokbel, have challenged their convictions based on Gobbo's involvement in their cases. The appeals process has been protracted, with a push for priority hearings in early 2021. The court is expected to release the reasons for its decision and the judgment on Thursday afternoon.