Tony Mokbel helpers can appeal jail terms in High Court The three men are each serving eight-year sentences for helping Tony Mokbel. Picture: Trevor Pinder Source: Herald Sun THREE men jailed for helping drug kingpin Tony Mokbel flee Australia have won the right to contest their jail terms in the High Court. Bassillios "Byron" Pantazis, Chafic Issa and George Elias pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice by hiding Mokbel in the country Victorian town of Bonnie Doon and arranging a yacht for him to flee to Greece. Mokbel, who was later captured, had been on trial at the time for importing cocaine. He was jailed for 30 years with a 22-year minimum in June. Michael Croucher, SC, successfully argued in the High Court today that Mokbel's associates - each of whom received eight-year sentences for perverting the course of justice, along with further jail time for other crimes - should be granted special leave to appeal. Mr Croucher said both the trial and Court of Appeal judges had failed to consider that the maximum penalty for that offence, as prescribed by both state and Commonwealth Crimes Acts, was five years. "This sentence was twice as long as the previous highest sentence for that offence in this state (four years)," he told the court in Melbourne. Counsel for the Solicitor-General argued the men's sentences were appropriate, as the gravity of their offending was unprecedented. Leave was granted, with a date for the appeal to be fixed.