Torn between family loyalty and anger about being involved were the reasons that Foula Pantazis gave the Victorian Supreme Court in the case of helping Tony Mokbel flee Australia when he was on trial for serious drug charges.
The 60-year-old Melbourne cleaner helped Mokbel flee the country, with her husband, sister and daughter involved in the scheme, all of whom have received jail terms for their roles. Prosecutor Fran Dalziel told the pre-sentence hearing on Monday that she was forced to offend by her husband with her barrister Leighton Gwynn emphasising that Pantazis was caught between family loyalty and anger at her own involvement.
The prosecution alleged that she asked her sister to buy mobile phones to assist in fitting out the yacht that Mokbel used to sail to Greece with. She also allowed Mokbel to use her Greek bank account to support his life on the run. She was said to have arranged the lease on the apartment in Greece which became his home and organise for her sister to deliver money and close to an associate in Athens.
Pantazis was seeking a suspended sentence given her good character and the impact jail would have on her mental health but Justice Simon Whelan rejected this. She remains in custody for sentencing to be fixed at a later date.