QN liquidators line up top silk to grill Clive Palmer

Clive Palmer is to face one of Queensland’s most feared cross-examiners over the collapse of Queensland Nickel.

Clive Palmer in Brisbane. Picture: Tara Croser

Clive Palmer will face one of Queensland’s most feared cross-examiners as liquidators step up their campaign to claw back $300 million owed to Queensland Nickel’s creditors.

General-purpose liquidators FTI Consulting have briefed Queensland’s former solicitor- general Walter Sofronoff QC, one of the state’s top barristers, to interrogate Mr Palmer in further Federal Court public examinations, possibly late next month.

Federal Court registrar Murray Belcher yesterday backed FTI’s request to “piggyback” on examinations started by special- purpose liquidators PPB Advisory, which saw Mr Palmer grilled under oath for four days.

The resources tycoon has scoffed at suggestions he feared facing Mr Sofronoff, who demolished Mr Palmer’s nephew Clive Mensink in a Supreme Court witness box last year, and described the silk as a “pussycat”.

But Mr Palmer’s lawyers yesterday failed in yet another Federal Court attempt to dodge or delay further examinations into the collapse of his Townsville ­refinery company, after Mr Belcher said their material was “unorthodox”. Late yesterday, Mr Palmer also lodged a High Court application for a permanent stay of the proceedings.

The Federal Court heard Mr Sofronoff will seek to question Mr Palmer about issues including the purchase of a Cessna Citation private jet, partly funded by QN. Mr Sofronoff will also target an 11th-hour move by Palmer-controlled coal companies Waratah Coal and China First to become ­secured creditors of QN days ­before it collapsed into administration.

Tom Sullivan QC, for PPB ­Advisory, was scathing of Mr Palmer’s attempt to adjourn Federal Court examinations, describing his application as “extremely unorthodox”.

FTI Consulting will also recall former QN executives Ian Ferguson and Daren Wolfe as witnesses, and wishes to examine Mr Mensink — the sole registered QN director at the time of its collapse — but he remains overseas with no planned return date.