Clive Palmer cruises with family and friends as liquidators seek $66 million

EXCLUSIVE: CLIVE Palmer and his family and friends have splashed out on a luxury $10,000-a-head Mediterranean cruise — just a month after he faced a court clutching a sick bag and breathing device.

• EDITORIAL: CLIVE’S CRUISE A SLAP TO WORKERS
• CLIVE’S FULLY SICK TESTIMONY IN FEDERAL COURT

FORMER politician and billionaire businessman Clive Palmer has splashed out on a luxury Mediterranean cruise — just a month after he faced a court clutching a sick bag and breathing device.

Mr Palmer had told the Federal Court, where liquidators were pursuing $66 million in entitlements for workers sacked from his Queensland Nickel refinery, that he was suffering pancreatitis and had earlier undergone a gall bladder operation.

Clive Palmer and his daughter Emily in Barcelona where they boarded a $10,000 luxury cruise. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

Clive Palmer, his family, friends and employees are on the Cruise Ship, Holland America.

But, having dropped from 153kg to 95kg, Palmer looked a picture of health as he boarded the luxury­ cruise ship in Spain with his wife Anna and daughter Emily.

The Daily Telegraph tracked the former mining magnate to the Port of Barcelona, where Mr Palmer and a select group of more than 20 family, close friends and employees embarked on a 24-day European cruise on Friday.

Tickets are understood to cost about $10,000 each.

A very different and “sick” Clive Palmer outside Federal Court last month.

A seemingly rejuvenated Clive Palmer about to board his cruise Picture: Martin Seras Lima

One of the cruise attendees is the adult son of former Queensland Nickel managing director Clive Mensink, who has been abroad for a year despite being the subject of two arrest warrants. Insiders speculate Mr Mensink Sr will join the cruise party at some point to see his son.

The 2000-person cruise ship boasts a spa, basketball court, restaurants, swimming pools and a fitness centre. The itinerary takes in Gibraltar, Majorca, Sicily, Malta, Croatia, Greece and Dubrovnik.

Clive Palmer’s daughter Emily spots the cameras. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

Clive Palmer’s wife Anna in Barcelona. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

Clive Palmer stayed at the Regina Hotel in Barcelona. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

Queensland Nickel, led by Mr Mensink, went into voluntary administration last January, and then liquidation, with creditors owed $300 million.

Mr Palmer has denied any responsibility for the workers or creditors, saying he retired from business activities in 2013 when he was elected to federal Parliament. He has said Mr Mensink, as the refinery operator’s director, is the person obligated to answer questions.

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s view.

HOW CLIVE PALMER LOOKED LAST MONTH:

Mr Mensink has spent the past 12 months travelling the world, making him unavailable to be questioned in the Federal Court — which has issued two warrants for his arrest. Mr Mensink has appealed against these warrants but did not turn up to the May 10 hearing.

The holiday comes as Mr Palmer, whose fortune has been whittled down to a reported $100 million, is fighting multiple court cases in Australia. The federal government is seeking to recover $66 million that it forked out for in entitlements for nearly 800 workers sacked from the collapsed Queensland Nickel refinery.

In a second court case in the WA Supreme Court, Mr Palmer was set to face cross-examination by lawyers for the Chinese state-owned investment conglomerate Citic but removed himself from the witness list on Thursday. The trial is over a multibillion-dollar­ royalties dispute regarding Citic’s $12 billion Sino Iron mine in the Pilbara.