Mr Asia lawyer Eb Leary dies
He was 71.
The Auckland barrister who was struck off for his involvement with the Mr Asia drugs syndicate has died.
Edward Poulter Leary, known as Eb, died of cancer on Sunday.
Mr Leary was struck off in 1987 as a result of his involvement with Mr Asia drugs lord Alexander Sinclair, also known as Terry Clark – of Underbelly TV series notoriety.
The then Law Practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal refused to let him practise again but, in 2007, the High Court, impressed by Mr Leary’s support from an array of judges, Queen’s Counsel and senior lawyers, allowed him to practice as a barrister after 20 years in the wilderness.
Within a year, however, Mr Leary and his wife Claudine were caught up in a major police investigation into large-scale drug trafficking.
Their names were suppressed for nearly two years before suppression was lifted by the Court of Appeal in May, 2010.
Bugged conversations made during a police investigation in 2008 disclosed talk of large sums of money being kept in Mr Leary’s central Auckland office safe.
The money-laundering allegations were later discharged after the bugged conversations were ruled inadmissible.
A funeral will be held in Parnell on Friday.
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Staff Reporter
Tue, 09 Feb 2016
Tue, 09 Feb 2016
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Mr Asia lawyer Eb Leary dies
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