Clive Palmer managed to pull off complex corporate move despite health problems

CLIVE Palmer cut a sorry figure when he appeared in court this week but his health apparently didn’t stop him from pulling off a big corporate move recently.

Clive Palmer arrives at court to appear at Queensland Nickel hearing.

CLIVE Palmer cut a sorry figure when he appeared in court this week but lawyers raised doubts about his medical condition after the millionaire pulled off a complex corporate move while impacted by painkillers.

According to The Australian, the millionaire was threatened with an arrest warrant if he didn’t front court on Wednesday despite claims he was too sick to testify.

Hobbling into court minutes before the scheduled hearing on Wednesday morning, Mr Palmer told reporters he had taken the opioid Targin, also known as oxycodone, only hours earlier and said it caused memory problems.

“This is not about Queensland Nickel, this is whether a citizen under medication, which are narcotics, which require to be signed off in an act, should be dragged into court to give evidence and whether he can give evidence, because I can’t remember my Amex PIN number for example,” he said.

Mr Palmer says he has been taking medication for pancreatitis but Federal Court documents reveal this didn’t stop Mr Palmer last week from directing a complex and secret corporate move to appoint his friend, businessman Domenic Mar­tino, as controller of his China First company.

China First claims it is owed $135 million by Queensland Nickel, which collapsed last year. Liquidators have accused Mr Palmer of secretly controlling Queensland Nickel even though his nephew Clive Mensink was the sole registered director at the time of its failure.

Once appointed to China First, Mr Martino tried to kill a $105 million lawsuit being brought against Mr Palmer’s company Mineralogy by liquidators FTI Consulting.

Mr Palmer was due back in Federal Court today to answer more questions about his involvement with Queensland Nickel, but the hearing has been adjourned with the general liquidator’s consent.

Clive Palmer and his staff arrive at court on Wednesday holding a pillow, breathing aid and sick bag.

His nephew, Mr Mensink, has ignored Federal Court orders to return to Australia to give evidence about the refinery’s collapse.

After encouraging Mr Palmer to abstain from taking painkillers before a scheduled hearing next Tuesday, Justice Dowsett adjourned the proceedings.

“You’re joking,” Mr Palmer responded from the witness box.

“He obviously hadn’t taken it (the pills) before the interview on television,” Judge Dowsett added, citing Mr Palmer’s appearance on the Seven Network last week when he boasted of a new healthy lifestyle and weight loss.

On leaving court, Mr Palmer explained his condition had worsened because of a weekend meal — a rice and bean curd roll.

During his appearance on Wednesday, Mr Palmer clutched a vomit bag, breathing exerciser and pillow in court.

After staggering to the witness box, sick bag and breathing device in hand, Mr Palmer told the court he had last spoken to Mr Mensink in February.

He said his nephew, who has failed to attend court to answer questions about the collapse of QN since first being called in July last year, expressed doubts about returning to Australia and was mentally distressed.

“He said that the way he had been treated was a disaster. He said words to the effect he’d spent seven years keeping people employed and it wasn’t fully appreciated,” Mr Palmer said.

After 45 minutes, Mr Palmer requested a toilet break and proceeded to walk outside the courtroom to lie down on a couch as the hearing was adjourned for lunch.

When he returned to the witness box in the afternoon, he told the court he could not recall the evidence he had given earlier.

The court heard Mr Palmer had attempted to send $60,000 to Mr Mensink through his European relatives, asking them to urge him to contact his solicitor and return to Australia.