Interpol called in to hunt for Clive Mensink following Queensland Nickel collapse

GLOBAL crimefighter Interpol has joined the chase for fugitive ex-Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink, tracking his last known whereabouts.

Clive Mensink, the nephew of Clive Palmer, is now being hunted by Interpol as he continues to ignore an arrest warrant requiring him to return to Australia to answer questions over the collapse of Queensland Nickel. Picture: AAP

• Palmer: Mensink left Australia ‘for good’

INTERPOL is now hunting for fugitive ex-Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink.

Documents lodged in the Brisbane Supreme Court reveal the Australian Federal Police have sought assistance from the international crime fighting ­organisation, which advised Mr Mensink’s last known whereabouts to be Hong Kong.

Liquidators are trying to serve Mr Mensink with a lawsuit, which if successful, could see him forced to pay up to $110 million in compensation for allegedly trading while ­insolvent and breaching his ­duties as a director.

In an application to argue the lawsuit could be served on his uncle Clive Palmer in his ­absence, a letter was tendered from the Sheriff of the Federal Court outlining recent efforts to execute two arrest warrants on the businessman for failing to appear at an examination into QN’s collapse.

Clive Palmer appeared at Brisbane Supreme Court last week as an application was heard to freeze millions of dollars in assets. Picture: Liam Kidston

It is the arrest warrants that involve the crime authorities. Mr Mensink is not accused of any criminal offences.

“Inquiries by the AFP have ascertained that Mr Mensink remains overseas,” the sheriff wrote on July 28.

“The AFP has sought assistance from Interpol, resulting in a Blue Notice being raised.

“The most recent advice is that Mr Mensink arrived in Hong Kong on 8 June 2017 and departed there on 9 June 2017.”

The Sheriff said both agencies were hamstrung as Mr Mensink — who has been overseas more than a year — is not accused of any extraditable offence.

“No further action can be taken until Mr Mensink returns to Australia,” the letter noted.

It is the first time Interpol’s involvement has been confirmed, after some confusion at Federal Court hearings over whether the agency’s services could be engaged at all.

A Blue Notice gives Interpol the power to collect information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.

It is a step below a Red Notice, which is for the arrest and extradition of wanted criminals.

There is a border alert in place, and the AFP will be notified immediately if Mr Mensink returns to Australia.

The warrants for his arrest were issued by the Federal Court in March after repeated attempts to have him give evidence at a public examination into QN’s collapse last January with $300 million in debt and 800 job losses.

The court documents also allege that when efforts were made to serve Mr Mensink with a Federal court subpoena last year, his ex-wife said he was in Germany and due back in four weeks.

He has not returned, and has been in Boston, South America, Europe, London and Hong Kong in the past year.