PA reveals Clive Palmer ‘paid for fugitive nephew’s world trip’

Clive Palmer paid for Clive Mensink’s trips as he dodged court orders to return to Australia, his personal assistant said.

Clive Palmer paid for his fugitive nephew Clive Mensink’s trips to the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Amsterdam and Ireland as he dodged court orders to return to Australia, his personal assistant revealed yesterday.

Forced to testify by Queensland Nickel liquidators in the Federal Court yesterday, Sarah Mole also said that Mr Mensink organised a lavish Mediterranean cruise for Mr Palmer and a “great many” of Mr Palmer’s friends, family and workers — just weeks before warrants were issued for Mr Mensink’s arrest.

While solicitors representing Mr Palmer and Mr Mensink have said in sworn affidavits that Mr Mensink was uncontactable in March, Ms Mole confirmed she was exchanging regular emails with the businessman in that month about the travel plans.

Her last missive to Mr Mensink was an email sent on March 27 to let him know a new driver’s licence he had been awaiting had arrived in Australia — the same day a Federal Court judge ­ordered warrants be issued for his arrest for contempt of court.

Ms Mole testified she had booked no more travel for Mr Mensink after that date, had not heard from him since then, and had no idea where in the world he was now.

The court also heard Mr Palmer’s private flagship company Mineralogy transferred $30,000 into Mr Mensink’s bank account in July last year, one month after he left Australia.

Mr Palmer’s father-in-law, Alex­ander Sokolov, also wired Mr Mensink more than $60,000 in two transactions — including $50,000 on March 31, days after the arrest warrants were ­issued.

Mr Mensink was the sole registered director of Mr Palmer’s Queensland Nickel company when it collapsed early last year, costing creditors $300 million and almost 800 workers their jobs.

Queensland Nickel’s taxpayer-funded liquidators have been fruitlessly trying to cross-examine Mr Mensink about the corporate failure since August last year, after he left the country in June on a post-divorce, round-the-world jaunt.

Many details of Mr Mensink’s movements since he left Australia have been a mystery, but Ms Mole’s evidence to the Federal Court yesterday shed some light on the situation, and the extent to which Mr Palmer has been bankrolling his nephew’s extended holiday.

Ms Mole said she had served as Mr Palmer’s personal assistant for more than 15 years and enjoyed a “close working relationship” with her boss. She confirmed Mr Palmer’s “head of operations” Craig Gunnis collected mail from Mr Mensink’s suburban Brisbane home in February and March this year.

She said she gave Mr Gunnis Mr Mensink’s new Westpac MasterCard and driver’s licence in March but said she did not know what happened to either item.

Barrister Tom Sullivan QC, for special purpose liquidators PPB Advisory said: “Did Mr Gunnis go overseas at about this time?”

Ms Mole: “I don’t believe he did.”

As well as emails, pages of text messages between Mr Mensink and Ms Mole were tendered to the court, showing the last text exchange occurred on January 31, when the two discussed Mr Mensink’s flights to the Dominican ­Republic.

That was the day Mr Mensink swore an affidavit from Boston claiming he was too depressed, stressed and anguished to return to Australia to testify.

After the text messages stopped, the emails continued. Ms Mole revealed Mr Mensink in March was organising Mr Palmer’s 24-day Mediterranean cruise in June. She said while “a great many people” from Mr Palmer’s circle of friends, family and employees — including Ms Mole and her sister, and Mr Mensink’s adult son — went on the cruise, Mr Mensink was not a passenger.

Mr Sullivan: “So Mr Palmer ... requested Mr Mensink to arrange this trip?”

Ms Mole: “It’s highly likely.”

She confirmed she used Mr Palmer’s Mineralogy corporate credit card to pay for Mr Mensink’s travel to various places, including Fiji and European destinations, and that Mr Palmer had been aware of some of his nephew’s travel.

“I understand they were being paid for by the company, as part of Mr Mensink’s entitlements in lieu … it was my general understanding,” Ms Mole said.

“There wasn’t a discussion (with Mr Palmer) about it, it was fairly automatic … I believe it was the correct action to take.”

This month it was revealed Mr Palmer’s company Mineralogy has paid Mr Mensink $4000 a week since the arrest warrants were issued.