Palmer in bid to get his cases thrown out
CONTROVERSIAL businessman Clive Palmer says he will launch a bid to have a litany of legal cases against him and his businesses thrown out of court, claiming there has been an abuse of process.
The former federal MP yesterday faced a hearing in Brisbane Supreme Court where lawyers acting for two sets of liquidators and a number of Mr Palmer’s businesses discussed how to take the complicated tangle of legal matters forward to trial.
A trial, which lawyers say could run for as long as three months, is being delayed with a number of other legal matters yet to be resolved including a bid to freeze Mr Palmer’s assets and an application by Mr Palmer to have a second set of special purpose liquidators removed from the case.
Mr Palmer yesterday argued against a trial date being set, saying it could be a waste of time if an application to have the case thrown out, which is yet to be filed, is successful.
“You say that your case is so compelling and their case so weak there’s just not a trial issue?” Justice John Bond asked Mr Palmer, who said he did not think there is “much point reserving time for a trial”.
“I’m against it on the basis a lot of court time will have to be put aside ... because proceedings may be struck out,” Mr Palmer said.
“I’ll be advising the court that I intend to bring an application for a proceeding to have all these matters permanently stayed in regards to the abuse of process of court procedures.”
Justice Bond said he wanted to progress the series of legal matters through court as a matter of priority.
Outside court Mr Palmer told media a new affidavit had been filed in court by administrators which proved he and nephew Clive Mensink, who was the sole director of Queensland Nickel when it collapsed, had offered to pay out all the creditors before the refinery went into liquidation.