‘The Mokbels were the ringleaders. They didn’t like to lose.’
– Team-mate, East Brunswick Magpies
‘A fat fucking obnoxious little wog.’
– Brian ‘the Skull’ Murphy
‘People say he’s a gentleman in a suit and tie. Whether he’s in a monkey suit he’s still a pig. He came across as being arrogant, short and fat. A bald-headed fat arrogant person.’
– Wendy Peirce
‘You can’t help who you fall in love with … I’d rather Tony out there somewhere than sitting in a cell.’
– Danielle McGuire
‘You, as members of that squad in particular, see criminals such as Tony Mokbel living what could be described as the “high life”, splashing out hundreds of thousands of dollars on gambling, restaurants, fast cars and a party lifestyle.’
– Judge Betty King
‘A very, very excellent bloke, top bloke, one of the best blokes you could ever meet … He’s the best dad you could ask for, the best uncle, brother. You can’t fault him.’
– Roberta Williams
‘This one feeds others, he does not kill.’
– Tony’s mum, Lora Mokbel
‘We’re not whistling Dixie here. Everyone else is dead.’
– Lawyer for scared and absent witness against Mokbel
‘I’m a drug dealer not a killer.’
– Tony Mokbel
‘Even when frigging Saddam Hussein got caught and everything, you put my brother before him [in the newspapers].’
– Kabalan Mokbel
‘When you talk about Tony Mokbel, to me Tony Mokbel isn’t just a person. Tony Mokbel is a group. He had a company running for him.’
– Detective Sergeant Jim Coghlan
‘As a result of his business and property ventures Mr Mokbel is making a significant contribution to the community and employing a substantial number of people.’
– Kelvin Thomson, MP
‘As we all know, he had people in every high-up place. It’s mindboggling. He was a person who infiltrated so many dimensions of everything.’
– Judy Moran
‘He used to be a friend of mine but he’s no friend of mine anymore.’
– Mick Gatto
‘I don’t think he really, really looks at drug trafficking as if “I’m killing all these people, I’m going to stuff the health system”. He just knows it’s lucrative.’
– Former Head of Purana taskforce Detective Inspector Bernie Edwards