Palmer earns court’s ire for failing to front trial

A SUPREME Court judge has blasted Clive Palmer for failing to show up to his own trial.

Justice Debra Mullins yesterday hit out at the embattled mining magnate for being absent for most of the first two days of the mammoth trial over the collapse of his Queensland Nickel refinery.

“Quite frankly Mr Palmer, I manage the court’s self-represented litigants ... and those who are in court because they can’t afford a lawyer or by choice don’t want a lawyer; they actually appear at the bar table the whole time,” Justice Mullins said.

Mr Palmer said he had been “vexed” between coming to court each day and attending to his duties as the director of his companies.

“Ah, well can I tell what directors of companies usually do, they engage lawyers,” Justice Mullins shot back.

A sheepish Mr Palmer apologised and said he would adjust his schedule so he could attend each day of the trial.

“I was wrong, there’s just nothing else to say,” he said, referring to the days already missed.

Mr Palmer yesterday had mixed results in trying to pour cold water on an expert’s evaluation of two of his mining assets, with which Queensland Nickel allegedly signed multimillion-dollar deals days before going bust.

The billionaire businessman is fighting a lawsuit against liquidators in the Brisbane Supreme Court over the collapse of the Townsville refinery. The liquidators are chasing about $200 million they say was owed to creditors when the cash-strapped business shut down in 2016.