Crown inquiry goes beyond humiliation to be a complete disaster for James Packer

Quitting is one thing. Being forced out is an altogether different matter.

On a personal level, there’s the humiliation and the inevitable recriminations. But when it comes to business transactions, it’s a complete disaster.

Just ask James Packer. Besieged by personal, relationship and mental health issues, he’s been trying to engineer an exit from his casino group Crown Resorts for years, desperately craving anonymity and a retreat from not just the corporate world, but the world at large.

Each time, however, he’s been thwarted at the final post, either by misfortune, mismanagement or an incredible combination of the two.