Prosecutors in Jamaica have filed a number of accusations against a former Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) employee who was involved in the investment firm’s multimillion-dollar fraud.
According to Loop Jamaica, Jean-Ann Panton was charged with larceny as a servant, forgery, uttering false documents, violations of the Cybercrimes Act, and engaging in transactions involving illicit property. Panton was a wealth advisor at SSL at the time the fraud was discovered.
Usain Bolt is among the victims of the swindle, as previously reported. The former sprinter and Olympic gold medalist is believed to have lost $12 million in his SSL account.
Panton made her first court appearance in a wheelchair on Friday. Her lawyer requested that the court grant her bail due to her medical condition. Nonetheless, the judge remanded her in custody until February 24. Although the head of the Caribbean nation’s Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigations Division (CTOC) stated that eight witnesses have subsequently given statements in connection with the case, it is unknown if Bolt is one of them.
Dr. Anthony McLaughlin, the CTOC’s director, also stated that Panton is expected to face additional charges, according to Loop Jamaica. The revelation of the SSL fraud case sent shockwaves through Jamaica’s financial sector. And Bolt, one of the country’s most famous athletes, discovered the theft after $12 million of his money vanished from his SSL account.
According to Africa, the athlete discovered the swindle after finding anomalies in his accounts. The sportsman, who is said to be worth $90 million, opened the SSL account as part of his retirement and long-term investments. Bolt was supposed to earn $31 million per year at the peak of his career, according to Sportskeeda.
Throughout his running career, the eight-time Olympic champion earned roughly $10 million per year as a Puma brand ambassador. Bolt, who is now retired, earns $4 million per year for wearing its apparel.