🔴 WARNING: What you are about to witness is an unprecedented abuse of power by senior officials of the Victorian Legal Services Board (VLSB) and Channel Nine journalists. On August 22, 2022, senior VLSB officials—Howard Bowles, Howard Rapke, and Gordon Cooper—illegally broke into the private offices of Erudite Legal, accompanied by a full Channel Nine ‘A Current Affair’ crew led by reporter Sam Cucchiara. 🎥 What followed was a shocking and meticulously documented violation of client legal privilege, privacy, and professional ethics. 🛑 Key Events Captured in the Video: Unlawful entry into Erudite Legal’s premises without notice or proper judicial authority. Aggressive ejection of the firm’s staff member, Ms Lulu Xu, who resisted attempts to access privileged client data. On-camera interference by Channel Nine within the firm's offices—filming confidential legal files and interviewing the very solicitor (Howard Rapke) supposedly acting for the firm's clients in pending litigation against Channel Nine. Exposure of privileged documents on desks, visible on national TV the same evening—a direct breach of the Legal Profession Uniform Law. Involvement of Victoria Police officers (Sgt Tim Guerin & Snr Const Mark Homberg) under the guise of "peacekeeping", later revealed to have coordinated with the VLSB and prosecution to seize evidence for criminal proceedings against the very people the firm was defending. Multiple ethics violations were committed in real-time by lawyers and investigators, now under investigation by IBAC. 📜 This incident was followed 11 days later by Mr Rapke filing a Notice of Ceasing to Act—proving that he was still acting for Mr Kuksal and Ms Di Gregorio during the raid while giving Channel Nine and Cucchiara direct access to their privileged files. 📂 New material disclosed in late 2023 reveals that this was not an isolated incident. At least one police informant (Mitchell Olney) is now the subject of a serious IBAC corruption investigation for allegedly colluding with the VLSB to sabotage criminal defence cases through abuse of legal process. 💥 Why it matters: This video is a real-time exposé of systemic corruption involving: The Victorian Legal Services Board Senior legal practitioners Victoria Police And a major national broadcaster These institutions conspired to undermine the constitutional rights of individuals by: Violating client legal privilege Ignoring due process Abusing statutory powers And weaponising the media for public shaming and intimidation ✅ All criminal charges were later dropped. Mr Kuksal and Ms Xu were fully exonerated, and the police were ordered to pay their legal costs. 📌 If you believe in justice, the rule of law, and the importance of institutional accountability, share this video. 💬 Comment below if you or someone you know has been subject to abuse of power by legal or police institutions. Your voice matters. 📢 Subscribe for more investigations into legal corruption and whistleblower cases.
00:00The preceding video about the VLSB's unlawful seizure of Erudite Legal's offices on August 22, 2022,
00:07captures VLSB senior manager Howard Bowles unlawfully breaking into Erudite Legal's offices
00:13with Howard Rapke, Gordon Cooper, and the Channel 9 camera crew and reporter, Mr. Sam Kukiara.
00:20After breaking in, the VLSB officials sought to harass and intimidate the firm's only employee
00:25present on site, Ms. Lulu Xu, to gain access to Mr. Shivesh Kuxal's legally privileged information
00:31stored on the firm's devices. When Lulu refused to cooperate, they aggressively removed her from
00:37the premises to facilitate the unauthorized disclosure of Mr. Kuxal's and his associates'
00:42legally privileged documents without impediment. After being removed from the premises, Lulu waited
00:47for the Erudite Legal's finance director, Maria Di Gregorio, to arrive at the office building to
00:53return to the firm's offices with her. When Lulu and Maria returned to the office, they found
00:59the Channel 9 camera crew for A Current Affair, filming an interview with Mr. Rapke inside the
01:04firm's office.
01:05I've got control of the premise in the role of the footprint, Mr. Secure, Dad.
01:10You might wonder why Lulu was so concerned about Rapke inviting Channel 9 inside the firm's office.
01:17This event took place on August 22, 2022. Eleven days later, on September 2, 2022, Mr. Rapke filed a
01:26notice of solicitor ceasing to act in a case where his firm represented Mr. Kuxal and Ms. Di Gregorio
01:32against Channel 9, Sam Cucciara, and another. What is a notice of solicitor ceasing to act?
01:39A notice of solicitor ceasing to act in the Supreme Court of Victoria is a formal document,
01:44filed and served under the court's civil procedure rules, that notifies the court and all parties
01:49that a solicitor or firm is no longer representing a party, thereby updating the court record and
01:55redirecting future correspondence. By lodging this notice, Mr. Rapke confirmed that Chavesh and
02:01Maria were his clients until eleven days after he allowed Sam Cucciara and Channel 9 to violate
02:06their client legal privilege.
02:14Here is Mr. Rapke being interviewed by Mr. Sam Cucciara, the very person he is suing on behalf
02:20of his clients.
02:20If they fear there's a risk to the public.
02:23Lawyer, Howard Rapke has been appointed external manager of Chavesh's firm.
02:28And what happens from here?
02:29Here, I take away documents, look at computers, look at the records, the running of the practice
02:34as much as I can determine it, and then I provide reports to them.
02:40When Lulu and Maria return, many files have been packed away, while others lie open on
02:46and near the reception desk. They had been moved there from the various private offices
02:50where they were originally stored, to allow the Channel 9 cameraman to record their content
02:55conveniently. This is evident from the receipt of documents provided by Mr. Rapke to Mr.
03:00Kuxal, detailing the locations from which he had collected the files. It does not record
03:06the presence of any files at or near the reception desk. Here, the cameraman pans across confidential
03:12files left splayed open on the reception desk by Mr. Rapke's staff. Despite the presence of
03:17at least five lawyers in the room, not one appears to be concerned about protecting client legal
03:22privilege. Mr. Rapke's assistant, Kylie Hall, walks into Maria's office. She is accessing the privileged case
03:50files stored in her office and writing something in them. Mr. Gordon Cooper, the senior investigator,
03:57approaches the cameraman to speak with him. When the cameraman asked a question, Cooper replied,
04:06yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine. After Cooper's confirmation, the cameraman walks directly into Maria's
04:14office and begins filming the contents of the privileged case files in the room. The content of these
04:20documents later featured in an episode of A Current Affair, broadcast nationally later that evening.
04:27Mr. Rapke noticed Lulu filming the events and told her to leave. While he allowed Channel 9 to film and record freely,
04:53he became camera-shy when Lulu continued to record.
04:57Just stop filming. You've been told. I'm outside.
05:01Mr. Cooksell, it's Sam Cucciaro. Will you have a quick chat with me? Did you think this day was going to come, Shavish?
05:16He can't hear you.
05:26Shavish, it's Sam Cucciaro here. Did you think this day was going to come?
05:29How are you feeling at the moment, Shavish?
05:33You said, is there a dog barking?
05:36I'll answer the question.
05:42Shavish, it's time to stop blocking out the courts. You're suing a magistrate in Sydney.
05:47I mean, really, is that appropriate?
05:49Maria, is that appropriate?
05:52Yeah.
06:05Mr. Sam Cucciaro continues to harass Maria and records her private conversation despite being told not to.
06:11Sam Cucciaro instructed the cameraman to record Rapke and Maria's private conversation.
06:29What do you want?
06:39What do you want?
06:40Sam, what did you say?
06:41I just said, just say it's on English.
06:45No, no, I said it's on you.
06:49How about you, John?
06:52Can you hear it?
06:55Is he your boss?
07:03No, I don't have a boss.
07:08No, he's just ordering people.
07:14Mr. Rapke invited Maria in for a chat, clearly delighted that his client was being filmed by both the corporation and the very person they were suing.
07:36Mr. Rapke looks at the mic man and is satisfied that he is recording the sound and asks Maria to put Mr. Cooksal, his other client, on speaker so he can also be recorded without his knowledge.
07:57There you go, he's on speaker.
07:58Mr. Cooksal.
07:59Ramps?
08:00Sorry, can we not have Channel 9 record this?
08:04Is that your intention, manager?
08:07Excuse me.
08:08Yeah, sorry.
08:09That's all right.
08:10That's all right.
08:11Mr. Cooksal, my name is Howard Rapke.
08:14I've been appointed as the manager.
08:15I don't recognise your appointment.
08:17I understand and you're welcome to take that position.
08:19I disagree with you entirely in your incorrect law, but that's by the BISERV.
08:23Do you have a bank account or a trust account?
08:25I don't recognise your appointment and I'm not talking to you.
08:28I see.
08:29So you refuse to brighten the details that I'm requesting for in my position as manager.
08:33Is that right?
08:34Absolutely.
08:35We would like for an injunction for the Supreme Court.
08:37Have you?
08:38We're waiting for an injunction application to be scheduled.
08:41I see.
08:42We will wait until the decision of the court.
08:45I see.
08:46Well, there'll be no decision of the court unless you serve papers and none have been served.
08:50We have served papers in the NSQ.
08:52Have you?
08:53Yes, I told you.
08:55Did you forget?
08:56You stay out of it.
08:58I'm telling you, I told you.
09:01Don't talk to her like that.
09:03Mr. Cooksal, you're welcome to come in and see me.
09:05It's all right, I've recorded it.
09:07Are you able to fuck off?
09:09Well, I don't think you need to use that language.
09:11I haven't spoken rudely to you, sir.
09:12Don't you begin yourself with ladies present there.
09:15Thank you, sir, for your guidance.
09:17He was not decent.
09:19One last time.
09:20Are you either providing bank account or trust account details, please?
09:24If you look it, don't fuck yourself.
09:26I thank you for that advice.
09:29We'll take that as is.
09:30And we'll move on.
09:31You can invite Channel 9 when you do that.
09:33Thank you, Mr. Rogers.
09:39Love it.
09:43Yeah, this is more fun than I've had for a little while.
09:49Oh yeah.
09:50Um, uh, ah, yeah, that's right.
09:51I always get some more.
09:52Um, but I, uh, I have a little window straight down.
10:05Yeah, that's what I want to do.
10:35Yeah, that's what I want to do.
11:05Yeah, that's what I want to do.
11:35Yeah, that's what I want to do.
12:05Now, we've been asked to come down here earlier in the day in relation to the appointment of Mr. Grapkey as a manager over this law firm, just to ensure that loss that takes place in that visa first.
12:16Now, my understanding now is that Mr. Grapkey has asked you as the manager, in being appointed to the manager of the practice, to leave the premises.
12:25So, I would ask you now to leave the premises.
12:30Okay.
12:32You're asking me to leave the premises, so I guess I have no choice but to leave the premises.
12:37Well, I would ask that you leave the premises peacefully and now pass the camera.
12:40Yeah.
12:40So, you can make a phone call outside of the premises or maybe you wish to go in, right?
12:44Is it, it is Maria, is it?
12:46It is.
12:46I can call it.
12:47For more than a year, we believed that Mr. Grapkey had invited only one of the opposing parties, Channel 9 and Sam Kukiara, into the firm's offices.
13:00However, after Mr. Kuksel received disclosure material from the police prosecution in November 2023, we discovered these two police officers, Senior Constable Mark Homburg and Sergeant Tim Guerin, had also been present for undisclosed purposes.
13:17So, at the time, Mr. Kuksel and Ms. Hsu were being maliciously prosecuted by Victoria Police, with Mr. Mitchell Olney acting as the informant.
13:26The firm was representing both Mr. Kuksel and Ms. Hsu in defending those criminal charges.
13:32When Sergeant Tim Guerin and Senior Constable Mark Homburg came to the office on August 22, 2022, they said that they were there to assist Mr. Rapkey to maintain the peace.
13:42On August 24, 2022, Senior Constable Mark Homburg wrote to Mr. Mitchell Olney to confirm that he could contact Mr. Howard Bowles to get access to all of Mr. Kuksel's and Ms. Hsu's legally privileged documents, as the Victorian Legal Services Board now controlled all of the firm's files.
14:01In this email, Mark Homburg also states,
14:05We regularly liaise with LSB staff and they are permitted under their legislation to provide information and documents for our investigations.
14:12The statement indicates that the event captured is part of a broader pattern of conduct involving the VLSB seizing control of law practices representing individuals it is targeting just before the commencement of their criminal trials to sabotage their legal representation and violate their client legal privilege and privilege against self-incrimination.
14:33Following a detailed investigation, Mr. Kuksel has discovered multiple individuals, including legal practitioners like Mr. Thomas Flittner, who have experienced similar malicious abuse of authority by the same group of officials at the VLSB.
14:49It is worth mentioning that the police prosecution failed miserably, with all charges dropped and the police agreeing to pay Mr. Kuksel's and Ms. Hsu's legal costs.
14:58It also led to the most serious IBAC investigation yet into police misconduct and perversion of the course of justice against Senior Constable Mitchell Olney, Acting Sergeant Naomi Burke, Senior Constable Jeremy Stevens, Senior Constable Melanie McNamara and others involved in the malicious prosecution.
Be the first to comment