Former high-flying real estate agent Anthony Di Nardo has placed 13 companies in the hands of a liquidator, as he winds up his Hunter-based luxury Belle Property real estate empire. A Newcastle Herald investigation reveals this is the second time in eight years that Di Nardo has called in liquidators to wind up 15 companies.
In July 2018, he liquidated companies known as McGrath Lake Macquarie and McGrath Hunter Valley, which owed $801,755 to 13 unsecured creditors, including more than $730,000 to the Australian Taxation Office. It is unknown at this stage how much is owed by the 13 companies placed in liquidation last week.
The latest liquidations come after NSW Fair Trading ruled in May that Di Nardo was not a 'fit and proper person' to hold a real estate licence, following an investigation that found he 'engaged in a pattern of inappropriate behaviour'. The penalty means the 54-year-old cannot operate as a real estate agent, scuttling plans to relaunch under a new brand after being ousted by Belle Property late last year.
Just days after the regulator revoked his licence, Di Nardo contacted liquidator Sule Arnautovic of Salea Advisory, who was officially appointed to wind up the 13 companies late last week. Arnautovic is the same liquidator Di Nardo used in 2018 when he closed two McGrath franchises and moved to Belle Property.
According to documents filed with ASIC, Di Nardo contributed $130,000 towards the cost of the liquidations. The 13 companies being liquidated include ZCT Property Management Cessnock, ZCT Sales Cessnock, ZCT Sales Charlestown, ZCT Sales Hunter Valley, ZCT Sales Newcastle, ZCT Sales Port Stephens, DRE Group, Hunter Region PM, Hunter Region Sales, TRE Investments Group, ZCT Escapes, ZCT Property Management Newcastle, and ZCT Property MGT Port Stephens.
