Queensland Nickel: Clive Palmer companies slammed for documents delays

Judge slams Clive Palmer’s companies for long delays in handing over documents relating to Queensland Nickel collapse.

Clive Palmer. Picture: Ray Strange.

A Federal Court judge has slammed Clive Palmer’s companies for months of delays in handing over documents relating to the collapse of Queensland Nickel.

In a stern rebuke, Justice James Edelman told solicitor Sam Iskander, representing Mr Palmer’s QNI Metals and QNI Resources, that months of delays in disclosing documents to liquidators was unacceptable.

“This process has been taking months,” Justice Edelman said in the Federal Court today.

“There’s just constant refusal or absence of response (from your clients).”

Mr Iskander, a migration solicitor from Sydney was representing QNI Metals and QNI Resources, the parent companies of Queensland Nickel, which collapsed into liquidation in April. Special purpose liquidators PPB Advisory months ago successfully applied to the Federal Court to have reams of documents relating to the company handed over, to help inform a public examination of current and former directors.

Justice Edelman: “The respondents (PPB Advisory) are, one can understand, fairly exasperated”.

He said the effect of Mr Iskander’s clients’ conduct was “geometrically multiplying costs in this court”.

Barrister Tom Sullivan QC, for PPB Advisory, said there had been months of obfuscation and delays from Mr Palmer’s companies as liquidators sought to obtain the necessary documentation.

Mr Sullivan said “very few” documents had been handed over.

Originally, the Palmer parties said the disclosure requirements were “oppressive” given the scale of material. When the liquidators tried to meet to narrow the categories required, they were unsuccessful.

Justice Edelman said should not be so difficult.

“It’s not rocket science, it ought to be a meeting, rather than correspondence,” he said.

Mr Iskander, who has only recently begun representing QNI Metals and QNI Resources in Mr Palmer’s many-fronted court battles with two sets of liquidators, said accounting firm PwC had been appointed to negotiate with the liquidators.

He said a meeting between PwC and liquidators would take place by the end of the week, though admitted he had no evidence of that.

Justice Edelman set down a review of the matter for next Tuesday.

A date for the next public examinations has not been set. When it does occur, it is likely to be a showdown between Mr Palmer and former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff, representing general purpose liquidators FTI Consulting.

Last week, the High Court dismissed a legal challenge by Mr Palmer, who unsuccessfully tried to have public examinations declared unconstitutional.