Gordon Nuttall

AAP

FORMER Queensland government minister Gordon Nuttall told a mining magnate he would "talk to the boss" about helping him with his business interests, a court heard.

Director of Caprogen Pty Ltd, Jim Gorman, told the Brisbane District Court on Wednesday that Nuttall had made this offer "on numerous occasions" while repeatedly requesting money from him for properties.

Mr Gorman told the court Nuttall "put the bite" on him to invest in a development in Brisbane's north and that he had also asked for money to help with personal mortgages during a visit to the Jellinbah mine in central Queensland in December 2000.

Mr Gorman said that on another occasion Nuttall had asked for a block of land at Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast.

Mr Gorman's company had previously bought a unit in Marcoola from Nuttall, who had been struggling financially.

"He thought if he'd get a block of land he could get back in and I thought that he was asking for a block of land," Mr Gorman said.

"It didn't go any further but he would say things like: `I can help ... I can talk to the boss'."

Mr Gorman agreed with crown prosecutor Ross Martin's proposition that Nuttall's intention had been to assist him with his business interests, which included coal mining and property development.

Mr Gorman did not say in court whether Nuttall ever identified which "boss" he would talk to but Mr Gorman said he didn't work for anyone.

Nuttall's boss at the time was then premier Peter Beattie, who is expected to give evidence on Friday.

Earlier in the trial, the court was told Nuttall had also asked Mr Gorman for $1 million during a meeting in Brisbane in early 2002.

Mr Gorman said he recalled being at the meeting but did not remember the $1 million proposition.

However, Mr Gorman's solicitor gave evidence that he clearly recalled Nuttall asking for the money.

Ray Lindwall told the court he was immediately concerned about the request and told Nuttall he believed the money would have to be declared on the Queensland parliament's pecuniary interests register.

"(I said) if any of this was to take place it would have to be notified in the parliamentary interests register and Mr Nuttall said his solicitor said that it would not be a problem and that that would not have to occur," Mr Lindwall told the court.

"I didn't accept that advice ... I said to Mr Nuttall it wasn't correct."

The lawyer said he took notes from the meeting on the back of a printout of the accountability and ethics section of the Queensland Ministerial Handbook. He said he could not recall who had given him the printout.

Mr Lindwall said that when he returned to his office he undertook legal investigations into the issue.

"It was to confirm my opinion that any part of this transaction would have to be declared," he said.

The court was told the payment from Mr Gorman never eventuated but that Nuttall later obtained $300,000 from mining magnate Ken Talbot and a further $60,000 from businessman Harold Shand, who was Mr Gorman's business partner at the time.

Nuttall has pleaded not guilty to 36 counts of receiving secret commissions.

The trial continues.