OPP withdraws blackmail charges against former Bandidos president

A high-profile extortion case against the Melbourne boss of an outlaw bikie gang and former CFMEU Big Build official has collapsed in a major setback for authorities as they seek to clean up Victoria’s building sector.

The shock decision is set to be referred to the royal commission into the building industry amid questions about why the state Labor government has failed to act on repeated police requests first issued in 2014 – and most recently again this year – to toughen laws...