Palmer keen to rope in Cash and others
CLIVE Palmer has applied to have a string of high- profile players including a Federal Government minister hauled before the Supreme Court as part of a legal battle over the collapse of Queensland Nickel.
Federal Minister for Jobs Michaelia Cash, Australian Workers Union Queensland Branch Secretary Ben Swan and Fair Entitlements Guarantee director Henry Carr are among 10 people Mr Palmer has applied to have subpoenaed to a three- day Supreme Court hearing in late August.
Mr Palmer’s legal team has also requested subpoenas be issued for the government- appointed special purpose liquidators Michael Owen and Stephen Parbery of PPB advisory, as well as a number of current and former staff of general purpose liquidators FTI Consulting including John Park, Kelly- Anne Trenfield and Quentin Olde.
The three- day hearing will focus on an application brought by Mr Palmer, who is seeking to have the special purpose liquidators removed from the enormous legal battle over the collapse of Queensland Nickel, arguing it is a waste of money to have two sets of liquidators.
In an affidavit filed with the Supreme Court, Mr Palmer said the governmentappointed, taxpayer- funded special purpose liquidators had already racked up millions of dollars in legal fees.
“This amount of fees is objectively ex- cessive and will ultimately prejudice me and the other creditors who will be left with a lesser share in the proceeds of the liquidation,” Mr Palmer said. “I believe the GPLs ( general purpose liquidators) can represent the interests of all creditors.”
It comes as lawyers for Mr Palmer’s companies this week lost a court bid to have liquidators disclose personal information about their assets, income, relationship to their firm PPB Advisory and the potential impacts of a rumoured sale of the business to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Justice John Bond is today also expected to deliver a judgment on an application by liquidators seeking to freeze Mr Palmer’s assets pending the outcome of the larger trial.