Voters won’t forget Palmer’s latest misstep

IF Clive Palmer thinks the public won’t remember the lavish salary he’s paying his humiliated nephew Clive Mensink, he’s got another thing coming, writes Ellen Whinnett.

IT’S likely Clive Palmer will regret his decision to thumb his nose at authorities by announcing on October 16 that his fugitive nephew, Clive Mensink, would be appointed “European director’’ of his vanity project — the Titanic replica — in London.

The announcement, followed by a reluctant admission two days later that there wasn’t actually a London office for the project, focused the public’s mind on the fact that Mensink continues to live the high life in Europe on his uncle’s dime, while workers who lost their jobs are still $10 million out of pocket on their basic entitlements.

For two years, Mensink has managed to avoid the liquidators who have legitimate questions about what happened to Queensland Nickel’s money when Mensink was running the company.

The company went bust and 800 people lost their jobs — but it still found $21 million to pour into the coffers of Palmer’s short-lived political party, the Palmer United Party.

Mensink has holed up in Bulgaria, the birthplace of Palmer’s second wife, Anna Topalov, where he has family members, and has taken up with a glamorous Bulgarian woman by the name of Gabriela Konstantinova.

He spends his days cruising the shopping malls of the capital Sofia buying designers clothes to fit his slimmed-down frame — and why not, as Palmer is paying him $4000 a week just for getting out of bed.

HOW ELLEN WHINNETT FOUND CLIVE MENSINK IN BULGARIA

It’s been discovered that Clive Palmer is paying his nephew, Clive Mensink, a weekly salary of $4000. Picture: AAP/Dan Peled

His actions in refusing to return to Australia beg the question — what does he have to hide?

He was the sole director of his uncle’s company. Liquidators want to ask him about the money which flowed from Queensland Nickel into the Palmer United Party. They also want to ask him what directions, if any, he was taking from his uncle, who was revealed to have been directing some activities at the company under the alias of “Terry Smith.’’

Liquidators and the corporate watchdog ASIC, which seems to be baring its teeth, would no doubt like to ask further questions about the activities of “Terry Smith.’’

But Mensink’s decision to stay away has meant investigators are unable to ask him what, if anything, his uncle had to do with the day-to-day running of the business.

How terribly convenient that is for Palmer.

The Palmer camp has given multiple explanations for Mensink’s absence, including that his lawyer couldn’t contact him, he didn’t know he was wanted on two warrants, Palmer himself couldn’t contact him, no-one knew where he was, he was too fat to come home on an economy class airfare, he needed $50,000 in travel expenses to come home, he was travelling with a new partner after recovering from a divorce, and even, from his son, that he was having “way too much fun’’ to return home.

Clive Mensink, nephew of Clive Palmer was spotted in a shopping centre in Sofia, Bulgaria. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

That would be the same son, Ryan Mensink, who works for Mr Palmer, and who told the court he had deleted his WhatsApp communications with his dad because he “didn’t want to handle’’ any request from the court to hand them over.

Less than a week after Palmer announced he had given Mensink the job in London, he said the office would now be based in Paris, because there was no point being in London after the Brexit divorce.

Some think it’s more likely he got legal advice which tipped him off to the fact that English and Australian law is so similar Mensink faced a much higher risk of extradition if he ever set foot in London.

ASIC seem to be heading towards a decision to summons Mensink, and charge him if he fails to appear.

Palmer has re-registered his failed political party and plans to contest next year’s federal election.

You can bet the public won’t forget the big middle finger he showed them by his bizarre “appointment’’ of his runaway nephew to a new job in Europe. The public response will become clear at the ballot box.

Ellen Whinnett is News Corp Australia’s European correspondent.

@ellenwhinnett

Originally published as Voters won’t forget Palmer’s latest misstep