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Queensland Nickel ex-director Clive Mensink misses court

Clive Palmer has insisted he doesn't have the foggiest idea where nephew Clive Mensink (right) has been holed up. Now he does.

Clive Palmer has insisted he doesn't have the foggiest idea where nephew Clive Mensink (right) has been holed up. Now he does. Photo: AAP

Former Queensland Nickel director Clive Mensink has failed to turn up to court to be cross-examined over the company’s collapse, risking an arrest warrant being issued.

The nephew of company owner Clive Palmer has been on an around-the-world holiday since June last year, which has included a cruise around the Baltic.

He was due to be questioned by lawyers for the general purpose liquidators today in the Federal Court.

Mr Mensink was the sole director of Queensland Nickel when it went into liquidation in 2016, leaving 800 employees out of work and debts of $300 million.

The court today heard the liquidators, FTI consulting, would now consider whether to file an application to have an arrest warrant issued for Mr Mensink.

He was also due to be grilled in court tomorrow by barristers for special purpose liquidators PPB Advisory.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Mensink’s solicitor Sam Iskander told reporters his client remained overseas on Tuesday morning.

Asked if he knew which country Mr Mensink might be in, Mr Iskander replied: “No, not really.”

He said his client had lodged an affidavit citing “medical grounds” for his failure to attend court on Tuesday.

But he could not say what Mr Mensink was suffering from.

Liquidators have been trying for months to examine Mr Mensink, who was Queensland Nickel’s sole registered director when the company failed in January last year, with debts of about $300 million and the loss of about 800 Townsville refinery jobs.

But he’s been overseas since June, on an extended trip travelling to many exotic destinations and spending time on luxury cruise ships.

Mr Palmer has defended his nephew, saying Mr Mensink has done nothing wrong, and liquidators had plenty of time to serve him, before he left Australia, with orders requiring him to front court.

But they failed to do that, and were now disrupting Mr Mensink’s travel plans, Mr Palmer told AAP earlier this month.

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