The attorney for sprint legend, Usain Bolt says there appears to be an organized effort to shift blame onto the Olympian for his loss of  nearly two billion dollars in the multi-billion-dollar fraud at investment firm Stocks and Securities Limited SSL.

Attorney Linton Gordon says this is happening, when Bolt is guilty of nothing more than investing in the country that he loves. 

Myesha Broadie reports

The attorney in a statement posted by Bolt on X, states that this is a textbook case of victim-blaming and it appears to be an attempt to absolve the government of its failure to protect the public and those defrauded by SSL. 

Mr. Gordon says  allegations being circulated in the public that not all of Bolt’s funds sent to SSL were received by the institution, are false, baseless, and entirely without credibility.

He states that all funds lodged at SSL by Mr. Bolt’s company were transferred via bank transactions and each and every payment was acknowledged by the institution in writing.

Furthermore, the statement adds that  Ken Tomlinson, who was appointed by the Financial Services Commission FSC to take temporary management of SSL, found records confirming the lodgments and has attested to them in the Supreme Court. 

Mr. Gordon adds that any suggestion that funds from Mr. Bolt’s company, Welljen Limited, did not reach SSL is inaccurate and without merit.

He adds that the notion that Mr. Bolt was negligent in making these deposits is entirely unfounded. 

The statement says the Prime Minister, the government and hundreds of Jamaican citizens invested in SSL—an institution which was approved and regulated by the government. 

It adds that to suggest that Mr. Bolt was careless or lacked proper financial management, is to imply the same about every Jamaican who has invested in a government-approved financial institution.

Additionally, the statement points out that the FSC issued SSL an annual license to operate as a financial institution.

Every citizen has the right to rely on the government entity that is responsible for assessing and regulating such institutions.

Mr. Gordon notes that even more concerning is what he describes as the apparent attempt to silence victims and manipulate the narrative about who is truly responsible for this large-scale fraud, which has left hundreds of Jamaicans without their hard-earned money and no clear path to recovery.

Meanwhile, Bolt’s attorney Linton Gordon says  the results of audits and investigations into SSL operations have not been shared with Usain Bolt or his attorneys. 

Mr. Gordon notes that the government had announced that it invited experts from the United States and the United Kingdom to conduct audits and investigations.

The attorney states that based on reports circulating in the media, it appears that parts of the investigation are being shared, including what purports to be information touching and concerning  his client’s account at SSL; information that is confidential and entitled to protection under the law.

Mr. Gordon says  some of the statements that have been made are being reviewed and the attorneys will advise their client on the legal actions available to him.

He is questioning if this is an attempt to damage Bolt’s reputation.