Jamaican authorities have called on the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies for help unraveling the billion-dollar fraud scheme that robbed Olympic track star Usain Bolt of over $12 million of retirement investments.
The fraud claim is the biggest in the island nation’s history. Bolt and his attorneys have given the investment firm less than a week to recover his investments before taking legal action, but many of the Stocks and Securities Limited’s top executives who were at the helm while the massive decade-long theft allegedly occurred have come forward just to distance themselves from the financial calamity.
Former SSL CEOs Mark Croskery and Zachary Hardin have publicly commented on the fraud discovery following Bolt’s threat to file a lawsuit.
In a statement Monday, Croskery said he was unaware of any fraud at the firm when he resigned five years ago but announced he is willing to fully cooperate with investigators in the probe. Hardin told the Jamaica Observer that during the nearly three years of his tenure at SSL, he was never advised that Bolt was a client with investments in the company’s portfolios. Part of his role included ensuring the funds were kept safe.
“I have nothing to hide. My heart is clear and my conscience is free,” Harding said.
Initial reports showed the superstar athlete put about $10 million into the investment account in 2012, hoping to incur interest, but only $2,000 remained. However, his lawyers later released a statement stating the account had $12.7 million and was left with a balance of $12,000 as of Oct. 31.
Bolt’s legal team sent a letter to SSL on Jan. 16 demanding the firm return the money to the retired sprinter or face legal ramifications. The attorney stated if the balance is correct, “then a serious act of fraud larceny or a combination of both have been committed against our client.”
Reports show the fraud of nearly $2 billion (Jamaican) that impacted…
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