Globally regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt has vented his growing frustration with authorities for failing to refund him more than 12 million stolen from a state-monitored securities fund.
Speaking on The Fix YouTube podcast this week, Bolt complained bitterly about receiving little or no help from authorities in recovering his money since the scandal at the Jamaica Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) broke nearly two years ago.
Bolt and several other Jamaicans who had invested in the firm expressed deep frustration about the situation. A probe showed that the total number of defrauded had reached $30 million. Police have arrested and charged at least one former functionary at SSL but appear to be making little headway in solving the case.
Last year, the umbrella securities commission gave the defrauded victims some hope for recovery by saying it would have sold off overseas investments to repay them. However, not much has been heard of that proposal since then.
“It tough fi know seh it happen and then this a gwaan (gone) this long. This kind of make me look on who I am and which part mi think mi did deh pon the food chain inna Jamaica. It lick mi for six,” he said, speaking in local creole.
Bolt and his company had originally invested around $6 million in SSL, which had almost doubled via interest payments by the time his manager called to inform him that the money had vanished from his account portfolio.
“It lick mi hard, brother, and then over time, how it has progressed, what mi a expect, mi nuh get or what mi think mi would see or the help mi would get from certain people and nuh see it, mi a seh Jah, Jah. A the government alone can really do anything big about this. A them ah the only persons con go in and say this need fi fix’,” Bolt said.
