Clive Palmer's Nephew Convicted of Contempt After Fleeing Australia Over Nickel Collapse
A Brisbane Federal Court judge found Clive Theodore Mensink guilty of criminal contempt for evading a summons about the 2016 Queensland Nickel refinery failure.
In a Brisbane Federal Court hearing, Justice Darryl Rangiah concluded that Clive Theodore Mensink committed criminal contempt by failing to attend a summons concerning the 2016 collapse of Queensland Nickel's Townsville refinery. Mensink, who previously managed his uncle Clive Palmer's Gold Coast United A-League team, fled Australia in June 2016 and is thought to be living in Bulgaria; his claims of illness and stress were rejected as fabricated.
The refinery's shutdown left roughly 800 workers jobless and created debts of at least $226 million, prompting the federal government to pay some entitlements under the fair entitlements guarantee. The Registrar of the Federal Court had brought two charges after Mensink's departure, and a 2017 arrest warrant was issued. Mensink was tried in absentia after two failed appeals in 2022, and while one charge was dismissed, the contempt conviction remains pending sentencing.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights accountability for corporate leaders evading legal scrutiny after a major industrial collapse.
In this story
