A drug and alcohol counsellor and coordinator, who was employed at St Paul's Prevention Rehabilitation, Anthony Dieni, was today convicted at the County Court of Victoria following an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC).
Mr Dieni was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with a nine year non-parole period after pleading guilty to six counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, two counts of trafficking a drug of dependence, one count of false accounting, and two counts relating to the possession of unregistered firearms.
Mr Dieni was prosecuted following Operation Murano, an IBAC investigation into allegations that Mr Dieni, representing the Strathmore-based charity, deliberately misled the court in bail applications and sentencing hearings in exchange for cocaine and other drugs of dependence.
Operation Murano has resulted in 20 people being charged with a range of offences including attempting to pervert the course of justice, trafficking in a drug of dependence and fraud offences.
