Chris Anderson’s and fraudster Oliver Roths’ businesses in dispute over $3.8m

NRL legend Chris Anderson’s failed labour hire empire and a convicted fraudster’s business are fighting over who owes who debts of up to $3.8 million.

Ex-NRL player Chris Anderson at Anderson Recruitment and Training in 2017. Picture: AAP Image

NRL legend Chris Anderson’s failed labour hire empire was ­allegedly financed by a money lending company run by a convicted fraudster.

Now the pair have made competing claims over who owes who money over debts worth up to $3.8 million.

Ex-NRL player Chris Anderson at Anderson Recruitment and Training in 2017. Picture: AAP Image

Until they were placed into liquidation in 2019, Anderson — who won premierships with the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm — was the director of three Sydney-based labour-hire companies that collapsed owing millions.

Liquidators found a tangled mess when they examined the books in an attempt to understand how the businesses failed.

According to their report filed with ASIC, one of the companies — Anderson Recruitment and Training — entered into an “invoice finance facility” arrangement in 2016 with a Sydney CBD-based money lending operation known as AXL Financial.

The director of the company, Oliver Roths, 44, from North Sydney, was formerly known as Oliver Banovec and Duke ­Oliver Roths, according to ASIC documents.

In 2010, Roths was jailed for seven years after being con­victed of fraud relating to $500,000 of loans that he “failed to on-lend” and two counts of perjury, according a liquidator report filed with ASIC.

When Anderson’s companies collapsed, AXL wrote to the ­ex-NRL coach’s liquidators claiming to be owed more than $3.4 million by the footy great.

The tables turned when AXL Financial was also placed into liquidation on September 22.

Anderson’s liquidator’s wrote to AXL’s liquidators claiming that it was actually Roths’ company that was in debt to the ­ex NRL coach’s operation to the tune of $630,935.

On Saturday, Mr Anderson said he had been introduced to Mr Roths by a third party who was prominent in the business world.

“I’m $3 to $4 million down,” Mr Anderson said.

Mr Anderson said efforts were now being made by solicitors, liquidators and others to recover the money.

Mr Roths could not be reached for comment.

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