A lawyer has been questioned about an alleged conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to the 2009 murder of Mohammed Haddara.
The 67-year-old, who had represented members of the Chaouk family, the arch enemies of the Haddaras, was arrested by homicide squad detectives at his Fairfield home about 7am on Friday.
He was released without charge several hours later. Police said inquiries were continuing but the lawyer denied any involvement in an alleged conspiracy.
He is not suspected of any involvement in the slaying of Mr Haddara, who was fatally shot in front of his parents’ home in Altona North on June 20, 2009.
He was shot five times in the back and his death sparked a bloody feud between the Chaouks and Haddaras marked by a series of drive-by shootings.
Police questioned the lawyer about an alleged conspiracy between two members of the Chaouk family – Ali Chaouk and Ahmed Hablas – to avoid conviction by making a false confession that would later be recanted.
Hablas, represented by the lawyer, went to a police station less than 24 hours after the shooting and made a full confession.
He told police he’d been held captive by Haddara and his cousin in a car, but escaped and shot Haddara in self-defence. He was charged with murder about a year later but was acquitted in 2011.
This article originally appeared on The Age.
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