Tony Mokbel faces a complex legal battle if he pursues the state for compensation, as fallout over the Lawyer X scandal continues decades later.
The 60-year-old underworld figure had his final drug charge withdrawn by prosecutors on Friday, meaning he will no longer face a re-trial and left court as a free man.
Mokbel's first comment on the steps outside the Supreme Court was that he is excited to get on a plane and travel overseas, after being locked up for almost two decades.
"I used to always dream of getting on a plane when I was in jail," Mokbel said.
However, he declined to respond to multiple questions from reporters about whether he will seek a Lawyer X compensation claim from the state of Victoria.
Mokbel fought for years to overturn all his drug convictions as he claimed the case was tainted by barrister-turned-informer Nicola Gobbo, known as Lawyer X.
Along with the charge being withdrawn on Friday, Mokbel was last year acquitted of another drug charge, known as Quills, after the appeal court found it had been tainted by the Lawyer X scandal.
However, he was convicted and sentenced in November, to time already served, for his trafficking of 41kg methamphetamine between 2006 and 2007.
That conviction means it will be more difficult for him than others, such as fellow Lawyer X client Faruk Orman who was reportedly awarded the maximum payout of $1 million in 2024.
He spent 12 years behind bars before he was acquitted over the 2002 underworld murder of Victor Peirce, that he always denied, as he was also represented Ms Gobbo.
His payout followed the Victorian government passing legislation to cap the amount of compensation for Lawyer X claims at $1 million.
Mokbel faces a much more complex legal battle if he decides to sue the state, AAP has been told, as he is in a very different legal position to someone whose convictions have all been quashed.
Legal teams representing other Lawyer X clients would be taking note of Friday's decision, RMIT criminology associate professor Brianna Chesser said.
"This is yet another example of what can happen - we've had an acquittal, we've had now a decision not to prosecute," she told AAP.
"It is definitely something to take note of and it is indicative of the seriousness with which the OPP, and indeed the criminal justice system, views the interference of the criminal justice system."
As a defence lawyer, Ms Chesser continues to feel "aggrieved" by the lasting impact of Lawyer X.
"It's going to go on for, I would say, the better part of the next decade," she said.
"What was done in that particular matter just completely has undermined the independence of the criminal justice system and its ability to serve justice."
