Polish Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Exchange Probe
A Polish court has ordered pretrial detention for a fifth suspect in an investigation into cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, prosecutors announced on Monday.
The suspect, identified as Roman Ż., was charged with membership of an organized criminal group and misappropriating clients' funds through computer fraud. Prosecutors claim the group took at least 7.8 million złoty (approximately $2 million) from users by making unauthorized changes to the exchange's data.
Zondacrypto, formerly known as BitBay, was launched in Katowice in 2014 and rebranded under a parent company, BB Trade Estonia, in 2020. The exchange allegedly operated an organized group with the aim of taking over founder Suszek's assets from 2020 to 2026.
The court has ordered Roman Ż.'s pretrial detention for up to 10 years, pending further investigation. He denied the charges and provided a statement to authorities. The exchange froze withdrawals in April, citing a lack of access to its funds, which it claimed were held in the form of 4,500 BTC.