Clive Palmer says he speaks with his fugitive nephew every day

CLIVE Palmer has made a stunning admission about how often he speaks with his fugitive nephew Clive Mensink, after previously telling a court he did not even know how to contact him.

CLIVE Palmer has sensationally revealed he is speaking to his fugitive nephew Clive Mensink every day, as the corporate watchdog investigates whether the missing businessman has committed criminal offences.

Mr Palmer previously told the Federal Court he did not know how to contact his nephew, who has been hiding in Bulgaria since last year, but this week he brazenly appointed him director of his revived Titanic II project in London.

Criminal charges?

ASIC monitoring

Abbott’s blast

Mr Mensink is wanted on two warrants to return to answer questions about the collapse of Queensland Nickel, which went into liquidation in May 2016 owing $300 million.

Asked when he started speaking to Mr Mensink again, Mr Palmer said: “I think I saw him a couple of weeks ago over in Bulgaria”.

“I ring him every day. He’s fine,” Mr Palmer told The Courier-Mail.

But Mr Palmer said he would not be asking him to return to Australia to face court.

“It’s up to him, he’s 48. He can live where he wants to.”

The Courier-Mail can also confirm that Blue Star Line, the Palmer company behind Titanic II, does not yet have a London office. A spokesman for Mr Palmer said it would be set up shortly.

Meanwhile, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) boss John Price confirmed the watchdog was investigating a new range of possible offences that Mr Mensink may have committed.

“Our investigations into matters around Queensland Nickel and Mr Mensink’s failure to attend (court) and produce books are looking at potential offences around those activities,” he told Joint Senate oversight committee yesterday.

“Where there are overseas jurisdictions where people reside and we have an interest in those people, you can assume we are in communication with the relevant authorities there.”

Asked by Labor Senator Chris Ketter if the offences included criminal offences, Mr Price said ASIC was looking at a variety of possible offences.