Clive Palmer at a loss over millions in payments to women

Clive Palmer says he does not know the whereabouts of a mysterious Chinese woman to whom he paid $4.5 million

Evgenia Bednova

Clive Palmer claims he does not know the whereabouts of a mysterious Chinese woman to whom he paid $4.5 million from Queensland Nickel’s coffers and is now a target of liquidators’ moves to claw back $300m owed to the company’s creditors.

In court documents, the former federal MP says he can’t find the home addresses of Chinese woman Zhenghong Zhang or Kyrgystani woman Evgenia Bednova — among those who received $43m in payments now being chased by Queensland’s Nickel’s liquidators.

Both of the women have previously been described by Mr Palmer as representatives of his resources companies overseas, but he has struggled to explain why they were given a combined $5.5m in November 2012 from the company’s bank accounts.

Mr Palmer, the women, his companies, and his relatives are being sued by Queensland Nickel’s liquidators to try to recover the cash in a Queensland ­Supreme Court lawsuit — which Mr Palmer last week countered with a $1.8 billion damages claim against the liquidators.

According to Mr Palmer and his corporate empire’s 193-page defence and counterclaim, Queensland Nickel does not have the legal standing to recover the $5.5m paid to the women.

Mr Palmer’s Townsville refinery company Queensland Nickel collapsed under its debts in early 2016, leaving nearly 800 workers jobless, after the businessman allegedly used it as a “cash cow” to prop up the rest of his empire, his political party and his personal wealth.

While liquidators managed to serve Ms Bednova with the lawsuit at her home in the city of Bishkek, Mr Palmer’s lawyers said that “despite inquiries the defendants are unable to confirm the residential address of Ms Bednova”.

That is despite Mr Palmer’s lawyers ostensibly acting for the woman, whom Mr Palmer has previously described as a mining consultant who was a represen­tative for his companies in the former Soviet country.

The Australian found Ms Bednova’s home in Bishkek in February last year, but she declined to speak about the businessman, or why he had spent $250,000 to charter a private plane solely to fly her to Singapore to meet him.

Ms Zhang — to whom Mr Palmer allegedly directed Queensland Nickel to pay $4.5m in November 2012, as part of more than $40m in now-contested payments to his relatives, his companies and himself — has proven more elusive. Neither the liquidators nor Mr Palmer’s lawyers have been able to find her.

Liquidators gave an address — understood to be connected with the 2012 transaction records — in Hong Kong’s central business district, which Mr Palmer’s lawyers say is “a commercial office building address”.

“Despite inquiries, the defendants are unable to confirm the residential address of Ms Zhang,” the defence reads.

Mr Palmer’s lawyers allege the $4.5m payment to Ms Zhang was “by or on behalf of” Queensland Nickel’s two parent companies, QNI Resources and QNI Metals, and had been generated from the sale of products from the Townsville nickel refinery.

“The funds were paid to Ms Zhang for and on behalf of (Mr Palmer’s flagship private company) Mineralogy Pty Ltd with respect to its commercial operations in China and Ms Zhang was an official representative of Mineralogy Pty Ltd in China at that time,” the documents read.

The former federal MP’s lawyers say Queensland Nickel and its liquidators now have “no standing” to try to recover the money paid to Ms Zhang or Ms Bednova, and confirm that neither the women nor Mr Palmer have repaid the money.

Mr Palmer last week announced a $1.8bn counterclaim against liquidators, alleging they were leading a “politically motivated witch hunt”.