Mining king in trouble for speeding ticket

BRISBANE, Australia, May 22 (UPI) -- Clive Palmer, an Australian mining magnate named as a national living treasure this year, is in trouble for failing to pay a speeding ticket.

A spokesman told the Gold Coast Bulletin that Palmer plans to fight the ticket, issued Jan. 27 in Biggera Waters, Queensland.

But he could have a problem since drivers have a 28-day deadline to either pay up or file a notice they are disputing a ticket.

Palmer, at the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz when he was pulled over, was fined $330 for driving 13 mph above the limit.

In Queensland, delinquent fines are handed over to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry, the Brisbane Times reported. The agency has the power to suspend licenses, garnish wages, remove money from bank accounts and even issue arrest warrants.

Palmer is used to being in the center of controversies. Earlier this year, two officials of the Football Federation of Australia tried to strip him of his license to own the Gold Coast United soccer club for what they described as repeated flouting of FFA rules.

While Australian newspapers describe Palmer as a billionaire, Forbes magazine puts his fortune at $600 million, his Wikipedia entry indicates.