Want a reference? Go see Kelvin!

[Mamaduke]

LABOR'S top legal spokesman, Kelvin Thomson, quit the Opposition front bench yesterday after it was revealed he gave a glowing reference to fugitive drug lord Tony Mokbel.

With such statements such as;
"years of unblemished conduct"
and that the notorious Melbourne underworld figure had made a
"significant contribution to the community"
he admits that he had actually never met the man who was the subject of his glowing character reference.
Mr Thompson also said he'd never heard of Tony Mokbel.
I think he'd be the only Victorian who hasn't!

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21355330-661,00.html

[Seekrit]

At that point in time at least. It was 7 years ago!

[Mamaduke]

'Fat Tony' was pretty well known to a lot of people even then...



As far back as 1986, Mokbel had been convicted of assault on four occasions as well as threatening to kill, and resisting police.

In 1989 he was convicted of possessing a pistol, and in 1992 he was jailed for six months for attempting to bribe a County Court judge.

Mokbel was also well known to horse racing authorities, who banned him and his wife from owning racehorses because of information from the police.

When Mr Thomson wrote the letter, the Victorian consumer affairs minister (who is responsible for liquor licensing) was his now-estranged wife, Marsha.


ETA...it may have been 7 years ago, but that's 7 years worth of writing references for people he doesn't even know, vouching for them for God knows what! That's a little scary!