Usain Bolt, the reigning Olympic sprinting champion from Jamaica, lost $12 million on Thursday due to hackers accessing his account with Stocks and Security Limited, a financial institution.
The attorneys for the racing star stated they are prepared to launch a lawsuit if doing so would allow them to recoup the lost funds that inexplicably vanished from Bolt’s account.
The account was a component of Bolt’s retirement and lifetime savings, according to a statement from his attorneys.
“It’s distressing news for anyone, and certainly in the case of Mr Bolt, who established this account as part of his private pension,” Gordon said on Wednesday.
“We will be going to court with the matter” if the company does not return the funds,” his lawyer, Linton P. Gordon, told Fortune magazine over the phone.
“It is a grave disappointment, and we are hoping that the matter will be resolved in a way that Mr Bolt will recover his money and be able to live in peace,” he added.
Reacting to the development, Stocks and Securities Ltd said in a statement on January 12 that it learned of the fraudulent activity by a former employee and had alerted law enforcement to the situation.
It said that it has tightened standards and taken steps to safeguard consumers’ assets.
The “alleged fraudulent operations at SSL that are reported to have affected the accounts of Mr. Usain Bolt and other persons” are being investigated, according to a second statement made on Monday by the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Nigel Clarke, the finance minister for Jamaica, asserted SSL had perpetrated “alarming and vile fraud” on Tuesday night and vowed to “bring all criminals to account.”
According to the Associated Press, Mr. Bolt’s account with the business was established as a pension for both of his parents as well as the eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter.
