ATHENS - A Greek court on Monday sentenced Australian mobster Tony Mokbel, who is wanted by police in Melbourne in connection with two gangland murders, to one year in prison for carrying false identity papers.
Known as "Fat Tony", Mokbel, 42, was arrested in June with a false passport and driver`s licence in the Athens suburb of Glyfada, where he had been living since jumping bail in Melbourne last year while on trial for drug trafficking charges.
He was sentenced in Australia to nine years in prison for importing cocaine and now also faces murder charges after police subsequently linked him with two gangland killings.
Australia has requested Mokbel`s extradition, which is currently under review by Greece`s supreme court, with a decision expected in October.
His lawyer, Yiannis Vlachos, spoke to journalists on Monday, reiterating that Mokbel denied all the charges and would fight his extradition.
According to police, Mokbel has been in Greece for more than six months and had been "active" in at least one shipping company, apparently in order to launder money and buy a car.
09/03/2007 12:51 GMT