A former bikie boss has fled Australia fearing his visa would be revoked and he would be sent to a detention centre - and it is unlikely he will ever be allowed back.
Italian-born Vince Focarelli flew from Adelaide to Melbourne before getting on an international flight bound for Italy on Thursday night.
The former Comancheros leader, who became a devout Muslim risked having his visa cancelled because of his 'criminal activity' but left the country before his adjudication process was to begin, theAdvertiser reported.
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Former bikie boss Vince Focarelli has fled Australia rather than risk being held in a detention centre, boarding a flight to Italy
Focarelli had until April 3 to submit why he should be allowed to remain in the country to the Immigration Department but fled before a hearing could be heard, making his return unlikely
Focarelli was issued a notice by the Immigration Department, intending to cancel his visa on character grounds, in February.
He was given until April 3 to submit to the department why he should be allowed to remain in the country, but Focarelli fled before his submission could be made making the chances for his return, slim.
'They have the law, the legislation to abide by but if I stick around and wait for them, chances are I'll be held in a detention centre,' Focarelli told 9 News.
'I and everyone else both know that the underworld and the criminal element of my life back then is finished.
'I have nothing to sort out and there is nothing to sort out with me.'
Focarelli, who survived six assassination attempts at the hands of gangland rivals, has repeatedly stated his criminal past wast behind him, announcing he had embraced Islam and become a Muslim last year.
Focarelli spent several years as a bikie member and survived six attempts on his life
Focarelli and his wife closed their Adelaide halal restaurant La'Fig Cucina on Sunday
Focarelli held a farewell party before he fled to Italy on Sunday - the same day he shut his inner-city halal restaurant La'Fig Cucina, which is now on the market.
He told 9 News that he was hopeful his visa situation would be fixed as he spent time in his native Italy.
'Once I settle down, wherever it may be, my wife and her daughter will come along,' Focarelli said.
'My lawyers are still working around the clock,' the former bikie said.
Yet the Federal Government has cancelled more than 1000 foreign nationals under 'character grounds' - including 138 members of bikie gangs, under Section 501 of the Migration Act, the Advertiser reports.
If Focareeli is deemed to have been 'invovled in criminal conduct', Immigration Minister Peter Dutton will have the the power to revoke his Australian visa.