Christopher Skase facts for kids

Christopher Charles Skase (born 18 September 1948 – died 5 August 2001) was an Australian businessman. He became well-known for his large business empire. However, his companies later faced big financial problems. After this, he left Australia and became one of the country's most wanted people. He lived in Majorca, Spain, until his death.

Early Life and Education

Christopher Skase grew up in a wealthy family in Melbourne. His father, Charles Skase, was a famous radio personality. He was known for his show The Happy Gang in the 1950s.

Christopher went to school at Malvern and Caulfield Grammar Schools.

Skase's Business Career

Skase started his career as a stockbroker. He then became a finance journalist. In 1975, he bought a small company called Qintex in Tasmania.

Over several years, Skase grew Qintex into a very large company. By the late 1980s, his Qintex group was worth about A$1.5 billion. Skase owned five luxury resorts. He also had shares in the Seven television network. He even owned part of the Brisbane Bears football club.

His "Mirage" resorts in Queensland were very big. One of them, the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort, helped make Port Douglas a popular tourist spot.

Skase was known for showing off his wealth. He had a huge 40th birthday party in 1988. A company Christmas party cost $450,000. Once, he even flew his private jet from Port Douglas to Melbourne. This was just to pick up a dress for his wife, Pixie.

The Collapse of His Empire

By 1989, things started to go wrong for Skase. Interest rates went up, making it harder to borrow money. He tried to buy the MGM film studios, but this deal failed. He had to sell half of his resorts to investors from Japan. Soon, it became clear that Skase and Qintex had taken on too much debt.

Reports later showed that Skase began moving money into bank accounts outside Australia in July 1989. Even after many years, the person in charge of his debts, Max Donnelly, could not find much of this money.

In October, Skase had disagreements with the Qintex board. He wanted the board to pay $13.5 million to a private company he owned. The board refused, but they found out the payment had already been made. Skase then asked for a pay raise. He threatened to quit if he didn't get it. The board refused again, and some members even threatened to quit themselves.

One of the directors told the Australian Securities Commission about these issues. Soon after, Qintex faced serious financial trouble and collapsed. Skase had to sell the Seven Network for much less than he paid for it. In the end, Skase owed more than $700 million. He started selling his remaining valuable items, like antiques and furniture.

Life in Spain

Skase was briefly arrested in Australia. He spent one night in jail. However, he was then released and got his passport back. He quickly left Australia. In 1991, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper found him on the Spanish island of Majorca. This caused a lot of media attention.

Throughout the 1990s, Australian governments tried to get Skase back from Spain. They wanted him to face questions about his business dealings. But they were not successful. Skase said he was too sick to travel because of a serious lung condition. The Australian government disagreed. They even released a video filmed by tourists. It showed Skase walking easily on a beach. During this time, Skase tried to start new businesses. He continued to live in a very expensive mansion.

In 1998, the Australian government cancelled Skase's passport. He was told to leave Majorca by July 23. But he appealed this decision. The process was still in the courts when he became a citizen of Dominica the next month. Many people thought that the chase to bring him back was over.

His Death

By 2001, the Australian government and Max Donnelly were getting tired of the high costs of trying to bring Skase back. In January, there was new talk that Skase might be sent back from Spain. If this happened, it would have been possible to bring him to Australia. This was because Dominica had an agreement with Australia to send people back. However, Skase became ill. He died from stomach cancer in Majorca on 5 August 2001. This happened before any more legal steps could be taken.

See also

• List of Caulfield Grammar School people
• List of con artists