Garde Wilson Lawyers

Last updated
Garde Wilson Lawyers
Founded2004
Founder Zarah Garde-Wilson
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
Key people
Mitch Fraser, general manager
ServicesCriminal defence law
Website gardewilson.com.au

Garde Wilson Lawyers is a criminal defence law firm based in Melbourne, founded by Zarah Garde-Wilson.

Contents

History

Garde Wilson Lawyers was founded in 2008 by Australian criminal defence attorney Zarah Garde-Wilson, known for her involvement in events surrounding the Melbourne gangland killings between January 1998 and August 2010 and her role bringing public attention to the recruitment of lawyers as informants by Victorian Police in the Lawyer X Scandal. [1] < [2]

In 2019, she was joined by Mitch Fraser, who became the firm's general manager in 2021. That year the firm opened an office in Gold Coast, Queensland.

Clients

Tony Mokbel : Zarah Garde-Wilson's connection with Mokbel has been noted throughout his legal battles and she has represented him in various legal proceedings. [3] [4]

Robert Karam: Zarah Garde-Wilson represented Karam in his appeal against a 37-year prison sentence [5] for his role in a large-scale drug smuggling operation. Karam's case was complicated by the "Lawyer X" scandal, where his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, acted as a police informant, compromising his defence. [6]

Tony Larussa: Zarah Garde-Wilson acted for Tony Larussa, a cattle breeder from Gingin, and successfully argued for his drug trafficking conviction for hiding 10 kg of methamphetamine to be overturned. [7] Initially sentenced to ten years in prison, Larussa's conviction was thrown out by the Supreme Court of Western Australia. [8]

Fadi Haddara: Alleged Haddara crime family boss, Fadi Haddara faced firearms charges in 2024, including possessing unregistered firearms and handling a stolen Glock handgun. [9] [10] This followed a series of raids by Victorian Police under Operation Skyborne set up by Taskforce Santiago [11] which targeted the Haddara family's criminal activities. [12]

Osman El-Houli: Osman El-Houli, a truck driver, was found not guilty of attempting to possess a border-controlled drug after allegedly being hired to drive 3,000 km from Melbourne to collect 400 kg of cocaine in Queensland. Represented at trial in the Supreme Court of Queensland by Zarah Garde-Wilson, the jury acquitted him of all charges. [13] [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders of 36 underworld figures in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between January 1998 and August 2010. The murders were retributive killings involving underworld groups. The deaths caused a power vacuum within Melbourne's criminal community, and rival factions fought for control and influence. Many of the murders remain unsolved, although detectives from the Purana Taskforce believe that Carl Williams was responsible for at least ten of them. The period culminated in the arrest of Williams, who pleaded guilty on 28 February 2007 to three of the murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Barwon</span> Maximum security prison in Lara, Victoria, Australia

HM Prison Barwon or informally Barwon Prison, an Australian high risk and maximum security prison for males, is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the township of Lara, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The facility is operated by Corrections Victoria. The prison provides accommodation and services for remand and sentenced prisoners detained under Victorian and Federal legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Scott Lynch</span> Australian actress (born 1982)

Ella Scott Lynch is an Australian actress. Her notable roles include Shirley Ryan in the series Love Child and Melbourne gangland barrister Nicola Gobbo in the Channel Nine mini-series Informer 3838.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Williams (criminal)</span> Australian murderer and drug trafficker

Carl Anthony Williams was an Australian convicted murderer and drug trafficker from Melbourne, Victoria. He was a central figure in the Melbourne gangland killings as well as their final victim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Faure</span> Australian career criminal

Keith George Faure, from Norlane, Victoria, Australia, is an Australian career criminal, convicted of multiple murders and manslaughters. He is currently serving life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for his role in two murders related to the Melbourne gangland killings. Faure's criminal history includes further convictions for armed robbery and breaking and entering.

Victor George Peirce was an Australian gangster from Melbourne, Victoria. Peirce was a member of the Pettingill family, which was headed by matriarch and former Richmond brothel owner Kath Pettingill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Mokbel</span> Australian criminal (born 1965)

Antonios Sajih Mokbel is an Australian criminal who has been convicted of a number of offences, most prominently commercial drug trafficking. He has spent most of his life in Melbourne, Australia. Operation Purana alleged that he is the mastermind behind the Melbourne amphetamine trade. He has been linked to Carl Williams, and charged but not convicted of two murders in the Melbourne gangland war. He disappeared from Melbourne while on trial in March 2006, and was arrested by Greek police in Athens on 5 June 2007. Since being brought back to Australia he has remained incarcerated.

Christopher Murray Maxwell is an Australian jurist. He succeeded Justice John Winneke as President of the Victorian Court of Appeal on 16 July 2005. He retired as President of the Court of Appeal on 15 July 2022, after serving in the role for 17 years.

Zarah Garde-Wilson is an Australian criminal defence lawyer known for her involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings and the Lawyer X scandal. She has represented notorious Australian criminals such as Carl Williams, Roberta Williams, Tony Mokbel, Fadi Haddara, and Rob Karam. Garde-Wilson is noted for her outspoken views on corruption within the Australian criminal justice system and the subsequent erosion of defendants' rights. She is the principal partner at Garde Wilson Lawyers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelos Goussis</span> Australian boxer, kickboxer and murderer

Evangelos "Ange" Goussis is an Australian former boxer and kickboxer from Geelong, Victoria, and is a multiple murderer, guilty of the murders of two victims of the Melbourne gangland killings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Caine</span> Australian criminal (1965–2004)

Lewis Caine was an Australian organised crime figure who was murdered on 8 May 2004 during the Melbourne gangland killings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Overland</span> Former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner

Simon James Overland is the former Chief Executive Officer at the City of Whittlesea and a former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in Australia. He previously worked with the Australian Federal Police and then with Victoria Police focusing on Melbourne's gangland wars. On 2 March 2009 he was named by the Premier, John Brumby, as Victoria Police Chief Commissioner. He resigned from this position on 16 June 2011 after intense public pressure from critics who questioned his performance. In July 2011, he was appointed the chair of the Board of Management of the Tasmania University Union and was responsible for overseeing the direction of the student union.

Nicola Maree Gobbo, sometimes known as Nikki Gobbo, is an Australian former criminal defence barrister and police informant.

In 2004 the murders of Terence and Christine Hodson caused the Victorian government to establish the Office of Police Integrity to investigate probable Victoria Police involvement in the murders and to investigate the leaking of sensitive police information to the Melbourne underworld.

Danielle McGuire is a member of the Melbourne criminal underworld best known as the former girlfriend of Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel. Before her relationship with Mokbel, McGuire had an affair with drug dealer Mark Moran.

Informer 3838 is an Australian television series focusing on criminal barrister-turned police informer Nicola Gobbo and her involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings. It is a spin-off of the Underbelly franchise, with various actors reprising their role from previous series. Commissioned by the Nine Network and produced by Screentime, it was broadcast between 20 and 27 April 2020.

<i>AB v CD</i> (Australia) High Court of Australia judgement

AB v CD; EF v CD is a decision of the High Court of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Acquaro</span> Melbourne lawyer, businessman

Joseph Acquaro also known as Joe Acquaro or Pino was a Melbourne lawyer, businessman and former president of Melbourne's Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Reggio Calabria Club who was shot to death on 15 March 2016 at age 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants</span> Victorian Royal Commission

The Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants - An inquiry into Victoria Police’s use of Nicola Gobbo as a human source, referred to in the press as Lawyer X Royal Commission, was a royal commission in Victoria, Australia set up to examine the actions of Nicola Gobbo and Victoria Police whilst Gobbo, also referred to as Informer 3838, Lawyer X (media), and EF (litigation), was working as a lawyer and acting as a registered informer. It was announced on 3 December 2018, in response to the High Court AB v CD; EF v CD judgement, and was established on 13 December 2018 under Hon Margaret McMurdo to examine the adequacy and effectiveness of the processes of Victoria Police for the recruitment, handling and management of human sources who are subject to legal obligations of confidentiality or privilege and the effect of using such sources on past cases.

The Kellem review was an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) inquiry undertaken by Murray Kellam from July 2014 to February 2015 into Victoria Police human source management. The review was initiated in response to newspaper reports about the actions of lawyer Nicola Gobbo in providing information to police.

References

  1. ↑ "Glamorous gangland lawyer the mastermind behind exposing police". www.9news.com.au. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  2. ↑ "Lawyers condemn comments from Daniel Andrews over Lawyer X special investigation". ABC News. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. ↑ "Lawyer appeals to Supreme Court over licence". ABC News. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  4. ↑ Petrie, Selma Milovanovic, Tony Wright and Andrea (2011-04-19). "King without a crown". The Age. Retrieved 2024-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "'Extraordinarily unethical behaviour': Top cops savaged over role in Lawyer X scandal". ABC News. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  6. ↑ "Informer 3838: Royal commission to examine how gangland lawyer turned on her clients, News.com, December 5, 2018". news.com .
  7. ↑ "West Aussie cattle farmer a secret meth kingpin". The West Australian. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ↑ "Cattle breeder meth 'trafficker' has conviction quashed". The West Australian. 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  9. ↑ Morgan, Cassandra (2024-01-17). "Alleged gangland boss poised to fight gun charges". The Courier. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ↑ Juanola, Chris Vedelago, Marta Pascual (2024-04-12). "When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car, he knew the game was up". The Age. Retrieved 2024-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "Melbourne police raids target Middle Eastern gangs". ABC News. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ↑ "Haddara clan members arrested in police raids in Melbourne, Herald Sun, April 13, 2023".
  13. ↑ "Truckie charged over alleged 400kg coke smuggling plot found not guilty, The Courier Mail, May 26, 2023".
  14. ↑ "Truck driver found not guilty over 400kg cocaine plot". www.9news.com.au. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ↑ "Vic crime gang head jailed for ice – 9News". www.9news.com.au. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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