Having previously declared that “my hands are clean”, former CEO of Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) Zachary Harding, is now facing questions from investigators in relation to the multi-billion dollar fraud that has engulfed the scandal-hit entity.

Harding made the bold declaration during an interview with the Observer Online on January 21, 2023 at a time when the fraud, the largest in Jamaica’s history, was just unfolding.

Nearly three years later on December 27, 2025, Harding has reported to detectives from the Financial Investigations Division (FID) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC). He is being questioned in the presence of his attorney with investigators stating that the line of questioning “relates to reasonable suspicion of breaches of the Bank of Jamaica Act, Securities Act, Banking Services Act and Companies Act”.

“Investigators are assessing all matters arising and forensically inspecting all evidence collected,” said a joint news release issued by the FID, C-TOC and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA). Officers of the three law enforcement agencies on Saturday carried out early morning, coordinated raids at premises in St James and St Andrew, targeting former directors of SSL.

“I have nothing to hide. My heart is clear and my conscience is free,” Harding declared in the now three-year-old interview.

He also stated that during his two years and nine months (September 2019 – June 2022) at the helm of SSL he was never told that national icon Usain Bolt had an account with the company.

In the early days of the unfolding of the fraud, attorneys representing the Olympian indicated that in the order of US$12.7 million, or nearly $2 billion, was fleeced from Bolt’s account. It was subsequently revealed that to 200 SSL clients had been defrauded of approximately $4 billion.

“During my time as CEO at SSL, Usain Bolt’s name never came up as a customer of SSL. He was never mentioned in any management meeting, in any strategy meeting, in any client review meeting, [so] it’s not a case of, ‘How come the runner had so much money in there and it gets stolen and nobody ever saw it. ‘I was not aware of him having an account there, his name never came up; it never ever arose while I was there,” the former CEO emphasised.

Former wealth advisor at SSL, Jean-Ann Panton, is the only former SSL employee that has been charged in the matter. Her matter is currently before the court.

Harding also told the Jamaica Observer that he was “shocked and disappointed” at what was unfolding at SSL as he had been learning about it in the media like everybody else.

“For clarity, I resigned from SSL last year (2022) June so anything after that I am totally unaware of. I sit on no boards, I sit on no committees; I’m not a shareholder of SSL,” Harding stated.

“A lot of people have misconstrued and think that I am SSL and it is my company, and I still work there, or I have links there. I have nothing to do with SSL at all … zero. I don’t even have an account there,” he said.

Harding stressed that up until the time he left there were no internal investigations taking place to the best of his knowledge.

“There was nothing that pointed to any improprieties being carried out by any employees. This is all news to me,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, three individuals were taken into custody today following the coordinated raids. They are former SSL directors Hugh Croskery and Sarah Meany as well as Dermot Meany who is not affiliated with SSL.

Croskery was found at a Wickham Avenue address in St Andrew, where investigators seized electronic devices and several documents. He was detained on reasonable suspicion of breaches of the Bank of Jamaica Act, Securities Act, Larceny Act and Banking Services Act.

Searches were also conducted at the Kempshot residence of the Meanys, where investigators recovered SSL-related documents and multiple electronic devices. Sarah Meany was taken into custody on reasonable suspicion of similar breaches of financial legislation linked to her involvement at SSL.

The news release said Dermot Meany was arrested during the operation in relation to a breach of the Firearms Act. Although a licensed firearm holder, he was reportedly found with ammunition in excess of the legally permitted amount.