Key Points
- A court in Katowice has approved pretrial detention for Roman Ż., who faces charges of organized crime and computer fraud.
- Three other individuals were detained last week in connection with a scheme to seize assets from Zondacrypto founder Sylwester Suszek.
- One allegation involves nearly €8 million being transferred from the exchange to purchase real estate in France.
The Polish judiciary has sanctioned the pretrial detention of a fifth suspect in the ongoing investigation into the Zondacrypto cryptocurrency exchange, as announced by Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek on Monday.
Roman Ż., identified by the Polish convention of using abbreviated surnames for suspects, was charged earlier that day with being part of an organized criminal group and misappropriating clients' funds through computer fraud.
The court has granted the prosecution's request for the temporary arrest of Roman Ż. https://t.co/5wpXBmEMoG
— Waldemar Żurek (@w_zurek) September 7, 2026
Prosecutors claim that the organized group illegally withdrew at least 7.8 million złoty (approximately $2 million) from the exchange by manipulating its data and interfering with its operational processes. If convicted, Roman Ż. could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Authorities apprehended him in Silesia on Saturday, during which they also confiscated documents related to the exchange. He has denied the allegations and provided a statement regarding his innocence.
Background on Zondacrypto
Zondacrypto, originally launched as BitBay in Katowice in 2014 by Sylwester Suszek, rebranded after relocating its registration to Estonia in 2020 under the parent company BB Trade Estonia. The exchange claimed to serve 1.3 million clients, primarily from Poland.
According to prosecutors, the organized group operated from 2020 until 2026 with the intention of taking control of Suszek's assets.
In April, the exchange halted withdrawals and ceased operations. Przemysław Kral, the lawyer who succeeded Suszek as CEO following his disappearance in March 2022, has not been seen since April 16, after informing clients that the exchange held 4,500 BTC that only Suszek could access. Estonia's financial intelligence authority revoked the license of BB Trade Estonia on June 29.
Anna P., Jaromira W., and Rafał Z. were also placed in pretrial detention for three months on September 4. They face various accusations including the unauthorized transfer of nearly €8 million from the exchange to acquire property in France, falsely recording a €2.9 million loan as repaid, and laundering 7.5 million złoty through fictitious real estate transactions. Additionally, one charge pertains to an investigation into Suszek, alleging that Anna P. interfered with the investigation by tampering with evidence.
All three have denied the charges. The Katowice regional prosecutor's office initiated the investigation in April, focusing on extensive fraud and money laundering activities, and has since received thousands of complaints.