Polish Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Exchange Probe
In brief
- Polish court detained fifth suspect Roman Ż. on September 7, 2026, in Zondacrypto fraud probe
- Organized group allegedly stole $2 million from 1.3 million exchange users via computer fraud
- Exchange froze withdrawals April 2026; founder vanished 2022, successor disappeared April 16, 2026
The Fifth Arrest
Police detained Roman Ż. in Silesia on Saturday and seized exchange documents. Prosecutors allege he participated in taking no less than 7.8 million złoty (around $2 million) from users by making unauthorized changes to the exchange's data and interfering with transaction processing. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Four other suspects—Anna P., Jaromira W., Rafał Z., and a fourth individual—were placed in pretrial detention three days earlier, on September 4. The Katowice regional prosecutor's office opened the investigation in April 2026 after the exchange froze withdrawals and went dark. Prosecutors have received several thousand complaints from affected users.
A Vanishing Act Across Four Years
Zondacrypto's troubles predate the April collapse. The exchange launched in Katowice in 2014 as BitBay, founded by Suszek. It took the Zondacrypto name after shifting its registration to Estonia in 2020 under parent company BB Trade Estonia.
Suszek disappeared in March 2022. Przemysław Kral, a lawyer, took over as chief executive and told customers the exchange held 4,500 BTC that only Suszek could unlock. Kral has not been seen since April 16, 2026—three days after the exchange froze.
The pattern is stark. Two chief executives, four years apart, both vanished. Between them, 1.3 million clients (most Polish) found themselves locked out.
The Alleged Scheme
Prosecutors allege an organized group operated from 2020 to 2026 with the aim of taking over Suszek's assets. The alleged crimes span asset theft, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
Nearly €8 million left the operator's account in October to buy property in France. A €2.9 million loan was recorded as repaid when it had not been. Two Katowice properties worth 700,000 and 800,000 złoty were handed over without payment. Additionally, 7.5 million złoty was laundered through fictitious property purchases, with a further count involving 1.7 million złoty.
Prosecutors allege Anna P. obstructed proceedings into Suszek's deprivation of liberty by removing a hard drive from a filling station's CCTV recorder, and incited false testimony.
Estonia's financial intelligence unit revoked BB Trade Estonia's license on June 29, 2026. The collapse of Zondacrypto stands as one of crypto's most significant fraud cases in Eastern Europe, leaving thousands of retail investors without recourse.
