Call for Clive to act over nephew
SACKED Queensland Nickel workers are demanding authorities do more to bring former director Clive Mensink home to face the music after he was exposed living the high life in Europe.
Pressure is also mounting on his uncle, millionaire Clive Palmer, to cut financial ties with him after it emerged last year he was receiving $8000 a fortnight from the former politican’s companies, despite two arrest warrants for failing to face public hearings into QN’s collapse.
It comes after News Corp’s European correspondent tracked down Mr Mensink with his glamorous girlfriend Gabriela Konstantinova in Bulgaria. The Australian Federal Police’s response was to urge anyone who knew his whereabouts to contact CrimeStoppers.
Angry ex-QN workers expressed outrage their slimmed-down former boss could live a life of luxury in Europe – complete with plastic surgery – while Townsville reeled from the company’s closure in 2016 with $300 million in debts and more than 800 job losses.
Frustrated Townsville man Peter Koitka is still owed $27,000 after he was made redundant within an hour of the birth of his son.
“(Mensink’s) just walked out of the country and is living life to the fullest like he’s done nothing wrong, like he owes no one anything,” Mr Koitka said.
Labor MP for Herbert Cathy O’Toole said if the $8000 fortnightly payments were continuing, Mr Palmer should immediately cease funding Mr Mensink’s exile.
“Clive Palmer has to stand up to the people of Townsville and say he is doing whatever he can to see justice is delivered,” she said. “He should be assisting authorities.
“Clive has been funding his nephew overseas while everybody in Townsville is struggling. His actions do not show that he cares at all.”
She said the Federal Government “should identify what options they have and exercise every single one of them to ensure justice is done for the people of Townsville”.
When asked if he would stop funding Mensink’s lifestyle in Europe, Mr Palmer replied that the story was “fake news”. He told the ABC he did not believe the pictures were of his nephew.
“I don’t believe he’s that trim and I don’t think it looks like him; it’s obviously been done by Photoshop,” he said.