Polish Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Exchange Probe
A Polish court approved pretrial detention for a fifth suspect in the Zondacrypto investigation. Roman Ż. was charged with belonging to an organized criminal group and helping misappropriate clients’ funds through computer fraud. Prosecutors say the group stole at least 7.8 million złoty by altering exchange data and interfering with how transactions were processed. He was detained in Silesia, denied the charges, and faces up to 10 years in prison. The probe concerns alleged crimes from 2020 to 2026 tied to control of the exchange’s assets. The exchange, founded in Katowice in 2014 as BitBay and later renamed Zondacrypto after moving registration to Estonia, froze withdrawals in April. Three other suspects were placed in pretrial detention earlier in the week, while prosecutors allege large-scale fraud, money laundering, and asset transfers involving millions of euros and złoty.
