Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt recently shared a statement on social media, a year after losing $12 million in an investment fraud case that made headlines in his own country.
On January 11, the 37-year-old uploaded a video on social media that appeared to address the lawsuit and his fans, as reported by Caribbean National Weekly. “One year ago today, but just know I still hold firm,” he said in the video’s title.
Last January, HowAfrica reported that Bolt was one of the victims of a multi-million dollar fraud case at Jamaican investment company Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL).
And though Bolt did not make any reference to the SSL fraud case in the video, he thanked his supporters for rallying around him. “Just want to let you know I’m still here, still fighting the fight, holding on, always going to stay strong. You know how the country youths do it,” he said.
“To all the people supporting me, continue to support. It’s nothing but love, alright,” he concluded.
In February 2023, How Africa reported that Jamaican authorities charged a former SSL employee with multimillion-dollar fraud at the investment company.
Jean-Ann Panton faces allegations of larceny as a servant, forgery, uttering fake documents, violating the Cybercrimes Act, and engaging in illicit property transactions, according to Loop Jamaica. Panton was working as a wealth advisor at SSL when the fraud was discovered.
The revelation of the SSL fraud case sent shockwaves through Jamaica’s financial sector.Bolt, one of the country’s most famous athletes, became aware of the fraud after discovering that $12 million of his money had vanished from his SSL account. The former athlete discovered the swindle after he noticed irregularities in his accounts.
The investigation into the wrongdoing at the investment company is still ongoing. Jamaica’s finance minister, Nigel Clarke, requested that the FBI and other international partners join the probe into SSL.
The FBI and other law enforcement partners will send “international forensic auditors to help unravel this 13-year fraud so we can bring to justice all perpetrators and co-conspirators,” Clarke stated.
“The central issue is, my fellow Jamaicans, is how did this fraud, this alleged fraud, go undetected for 13 years, between 2010 and 2023. Perhaps even longer,” said Clarke. “Over this entire period, this alleged fraud was being perpetrated,” he said.
He also mentioned proof of a pilferage plot from 2010 that involved billions of dollars in stolen client monies. He claimed that the scam was especially targeted at SSL clients.
“This fraud is one of the largest securities frauds in the last two decades,” Clarke said at a press conference.
Bolt has since filed a lawsuit against SSL. The case is being heard in the Jamaican Supreme Court’s Civil Division.