While giving evidence, Mr Amirbeaggi told the court that he had not been the subject of any threats. It also emerged he had paid $30,000 to the two men he accused of threatening him, while they were under police surveillance, to protect him from others chasing the supposed debt.

The $160,000 debt dispute dated back to 2015 when Mr Battaglia's SX Projects construction business went into administration. According to documents before the court, he claimed he was owed the money for building work carried out on Mr Amirbeaggi's inner-city office and Birchgrove home.

Mr Amirbeaggi disputed this, saying the construction work was done in kind for legal bills he was owed by Mr Battaglia over a five-year period.

Mr Amirbeaggi told police that, in March 2018, he received a call from well-known debt collector Ray "Rugby" Younan who told him that Mr Battaglia had allegedly reached out to Mr Gatto to help him recover the $160,000.

"I've never met Mick Gatto but due to coverage of this name in the media, I know him to be described as a person who's associated with members of the criminal underworld," Mr Amirbeaggi told police.

In June 2018, Mr Amirbeaggi said he was visited in his office by Sydney construction figure Perry Condoleon who allegedly told him that the debt collection had now been passed on to another man, Abdul "Zee" Khan.

Mr Condoleon was alleged to have told Mr Amirbeaggi that Mr Khan was a "shooter" belonging to the late Alex Taouil - a nephew of the slain drug boss Danny Karam and a known figure in his own right who died during complications from nose surgery in 2017.

Mr Khan, the lawyer claimed he was told, was a serious player who had already "taken care" of a number of other people who owed money to Mr Battaglia.

Mr Condoleon allegedly said to Mr Amirbeaggi that, if he paid $30,000 - including a third of that for Mr Condoleon himself - he would arrange a meeting with Mr Khan and smooth it all over.

Police alleged this interaction, along with four meetings between Mr Amirbeaggi, Mr Condoleon and Mr Khan, including at a CBD wine bar where the men greeted each other while police watched, and text-message exchanges over the next few weeks constituted an attempt to threaten and extort the lawyer.

Mr Khan and Mr Condoleon were arrested in July 2018 and charged with a range of offences including demand property in company and stalk/intimidate with intent to cause fear of physical harm.

But the case against Mr Khan fell apart in the Downing Centre Local Court in March when Mr Amirbeaggi said he had never felt threatened.

Following successfully having proceedings dismissed, Mr Khan's high-profile lawyer, Omar Juweinat, said Mr Khan was now preparing to sue the state for wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution.

"This case ought not to have been prosecuted in the first place. You do not arrest and bail refuse a person only to work out what your case is on the day of the trial," Mr Juweinat said.

"The real problem is that it actually never disclosed a criminal offence. This came at high cost to Mr Khan who remained refused bail for nine months where his mental health languished and saw significant deterioration."

Security footage of the meetings between the three men, tendered to the court, also showed Mr Amirbeaggi at times hugging Mr Condoleon when they met. The lawyer had also paid the men $30,000 in "security fees" which they said was to offer him protection.

Mr Condoleon told police Mr Amirbeaggi was an old friend who had "begged" him to "get someone to look after him".

After initially saying he couldn't afford to pay them $50,000, Mr Condoleon said the lawyer agreed to the $30,000 fee.