Clive Palmer’s nephew Clive Mensink leaves ahead of nickel hearing

Clive Palmer’s nephew will escape being grilled under oath next week about the collapse of a Townsville nickel refinery.

Clive Mensink will be overseas and unable to attend his Federal Court appearance over Queensland Nickel next week.

Clive Palmer’s nephew will escape being grilled under oath next week about the collapse of a Townsville nickel refinery, after leaving the country.

In a circular to creditors, liquidators FTI Consulting confirmed Mr Mensink had been scheduled to be publicly examined in the Federal Court on Tuesday.

A summons was sent to Mr Mensink — Queensland Nickel’s sole director at the time of its collapse into administration in January — but on Thursday, he told FTI Consulting he was “overseas and unable to attend the scheduled public examination”.

“The liquidators have agreed to adjourn the public examination and will apply to court for an alternate date,” liquidator Kelly-Anne Trenfield wrote to creditors today.

“Clive Mensink is yet to confirm his return date to Australia.”

Ms Trenfield said Mr Palmer had not been served with a summons to attend a public examination, “following an agreement between the General Purpose Liquidators and Special Purpose Liquidators regarding the progress of the respective examinations”.

“It is expected Clive Palmer will be called to appear at a future public examination where a date is yet to be set.”