Lover at work in Brisbane as Clive Mensink travels the world

Clive Mensink’s excuses for not cutting short his year-long overseas jaunt are crumbling.

Clive Mensink’s partner Jodie Shay outside the real estate office she works at in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen.

Clive Mensink’s excuses for not cutting short his year-long overseas jaunt are crumbling, with his girlfriend and supposed holiday partner located in Brisbane and his doctor confirming he is well enough to travel.

In late January Mr Mensink swore an affidavit from Boston in which he argued he could not ­return to Australia before July to testify about the collapse of Queensland Nickel because he was “bonding” with his post-­divorce girlfriend and had a long holiday booked.

But yesterday The Australian found real estate property manager Jodie Shay at work in suburban Brisbane.

Asked why she was in Australia when Mr Mensink had sworn an affidavit saying he could not ­return because they were together on a long trip, Ms Shay said: “I can’t say, I’m sorry.”

Asked whether Mr Mensink would return to Australia next month to give evidence at a Federal Court public examination into Queensland Nickel, she said: “I can’t tell you anything.”

Mr Mensink — the nephew of Queensland Nickel owner Clive Palmer — was the company’s sole director when it failed last year, costing nearly 800 jobs and owing creditors almost $300 million.

He has so far failed to act on two summonses from Queensland Nickel’s liquidators demanding he answer questions about the corporate collapse.

Mr Mensink swore in the Boston affidavit on January 31 that his trip was a chance to spend “quality time” with his late father’s relatives in The Netherlands and was a “special time for bonding for my new relationship” after his divorce. He said he was not due to ­return to Australia until July, and could not testify last week as summonsed because of his new love. “I am presently travelling with my current partner and my personal relationship with her is paramount to me,” Mr Mensink swore.

“I have promised her that she would accompany me on this trip and it is important to me that I do not let her down and that the examination does not interfere with my personal commitments that I have made. The thought of my personal relationship being damaged at this critical time of my life following my recent divorce distresses me greatly and is causing me mental anguish and pain which I find ­unbearable.”

Neither Mr Palmer nor Mr Mensink returned calls from The Australian yesterday.

Mr Mensink’s solicitor, Sam ­Iskander, said he did not have “any instructions as yet in relation to this matter”.

The Federal Court has also released a medical note from Boston internal medicine and infectious diseases expert Manish Sagar, confirming he diagnosed Mr Mensink with sleep apnoea, ­depression, anxiety and reflux.

“I do not think his present medical conditions preclude him from travelling,” Dr Sagar’s letter of February 20 states. “I do think that his clinical depression and anxiety disorder, however, make it difficult for him to function properly in a stressful environment such as a legal examination.”

Federal Court judge John Dowsett last week gave Mr ­Mensink one last chance to return to Australia before issuing a warrant for his arrest.

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