Clive Palmer’s father-in-law Alexander Sokolov living the quiet life with Queensland Nickel’s cash
CLIVE Palmer’s father-in-law, gifted $7.6 million of Queensland Nickel’s money, is living a privileged life in Bulgaria, keeping his wealth hidden away.
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EXCLUSIVE
THE man gifted $7.6 million of Queensland Nickel’s money, Clive Palmer’s father-in-law Alexander Sokolov, is living a discreet and privileged life in Bulgaria, keeping his wealth hidden away.
The father of Mr Palmer’s wife Anna has spent the past month cruising the Mediterranean with Mr Palmer and other family members, while liquidators in Australia try to claw back $106 million taken out of Queensland Nickel’s coffers before it went bust, leaving 800 Queenslanders out of work.
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A News Corp investigation has revealed Mr Sokolov and his wife, Anna’s mother Stiliyana Nikolcheva Sokolova, own at least two properties in their home country of Bulgaria and travel frequently to Australia.
Mrs Sokolov also joined the family cruise aboard the MS Westerdam.
Their son, Anna’s brother Georgi, also has a business registered in Bulgaria, although it is no longer operating.
Mr Sokolov was given $8 million on November 29, 2012, on a day Mr Palmer allegedly transferred just under $43 million of Queensland Nickel’s money to his political party, family, friends and other family businesses.
Mr Palmer, who believed he was being spied on by ASIO, told journalists at the time he feared “all the assets I have’’ were about to be seized.
Liquidators, who have launched a $500 million lawsuit against Mr Palmer, his missing nephew Clive Mensink, and 19 other people, are pursuing Mr Sokolov, and/or Mr Palmer, for the return of $7.6 million.
Mr Palmer denies any wrongdoing.
A DISCREET LIFE IN SOFIA
News Corp has established the Sokolovs keep a low profile in Bulgaria, and own a discreet apartment in a building in the Oborishte district, one of the most prestigious residential areas in the capital Sofia.
The apartment, in San Stefano Street, sits above an up-market meat and wine shop, in a quiet, leafy corner of Sofia just outside the city centre.
The embassies of France, Qatar and the Netherlands are on the same block, which is dotted with small shops selling art, fashion, gourmet food stuffs and wine.
The pair live on the second floor and have recently undertaken a major renovation of the apartment.
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Unlike many residents in Bulgaria, they do not have their name on their doorbell.
Neighbours, who know Mr Sokolov by the nickname of “Sasha,’’ confirmed they lived there.
News Corp showed photographs of both Mr Palmer and Mr Mensink to neighbours and those working in the shops around the apartment and no-one recognised the pair.
The Sokolovs also own an apartment in the working-class regional town of Montana, about two hours’ drive from Sofia, in the north of the country near the border with Serbia and Romania.
The apartment is in a modest apartment block on Saint Kliment Ohridski Street, outside the town centre.
Neighbours in the block confirmed they were regular visitors, and described them as “the Australians’’, saying they were often visiting their daughter in Australia.
At the time News Corp visited Montana, the neighbours said the Sokolovs were away on a cruise.
The neighbours said Mrs Sokolov also had property in Vinishte, a tiny grape-growing village north of Montana in the foothills of the Balkan mountains.
Records show that Anna’s brother Georgi, who anglicised his name to George when he moved to Australia several years ago, still has a photography business registered in Montana, which used to trade as a studio specialising in glamour photography.
News Corp visited the building but found no trace of a studio.
Residents at an up-market house with a garden that he had used for some of the shoots said he had not been there for several years.
George Sokolov worked as director of photography for the 2013 Palmer United Party federal campaign, and stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Queensland seat of Broadwater in the 2015 state election.
He is not named in the legal action and is not being pursued by liquidators.
MONEY FOR ‘LOVE AND AFFECTION’
In February, Mr Palmer told the Federal Court probing the company’s finances he may have given Mr Sokolov the money because of “love and affection for him’’, but could not be sure.
He said Mr Sokolov was an engineer whose work at Queensland Nickel had saved the business $40 million a year and “eight million would have been worth his contribution, for sure.’’
Mr Palmer’s nephew Clive Mensink, who has not been seen for almost a year and has ignored two warrants to appear in court, and was the sole director of Queensland Nickel when it collapsed, made a secret visit to Bulgaria in February.
Mr Palmer told the Federal Court Mr Sokolov had run into Mr Mensink “coincidentally’’ in Sofia.
He said he had given Mr Sokolov $60,000 to give to Mr Mensink in entitlements he was owed, but his father-in- law had only passed on $10,000.
Mr Palmer first met his much-younger wife Anna when she married his friend, Andrew Topalov in Australia, and Mr Palmer walked her down the aisle as her parents could not attend the wedding.
Many years later, Mr Palmer’s first wife Sue and Mr Topalov both died from long illnesses, and Mr Palmer and the then-Mrs Topalov became close through their shared grief, eventually marrying in 2007.
Mr Palmer and Mr Sokolov did not respond to written questions sent to Mr Palmer.
*Additional reporting by Milena Hristova
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