Zondacrypto crypto investigation widens as fifth suspect held over $2M fraud

A Polish court has ordered the pretrial detention of a fifth suspect in the sprawling Zondacrypto crypto investigation, deepening a fraud and money-laundering case that has already frozen the assets of hundreds of thousands of users and toppled one of Poland’s best-known cryptocurrency exchanges. The Katowice court’s decision, confirmed by Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek late Monday, marks the latest step in a probe that keeps widening in scope, in the number of suspects charged, and in the size of the alleged losses.

Key takeaways

• A Katowice court approved pretrial detention for Roman Ż. late on Monday, on charges of computer fraud and organized crime membership tied to Zondacrypto.
• Prosecutors say the group misappropriated at least 7.8 million złoty, roughly $2 million, from exchange users through unauthorized data manipulation.
• Zondacrypto began in 2014 as BitBay in Katowice before relocating its registration to Estonia in 2020 under BB Trade Estonia.
• The exchange froze withdrawals and went offline in April 2026; Estonia’s financial intelligence unit revoked BB Trade Estonia’s license on June 29, 2026.
• Three other suspects, Anna P., Jaromira W. and Rafał Z., were placed in pretrial detention on September 4 over an alleged scheme involving nearly €8 million.

Court Approves Detention for Fifth Zondacrypto Suspect

The Katowice court granted prosecutors’ request to hold Roman Ż. in pretrial detention after he was charged earlier the same day with membership in an organized criminal group and with misappropriating client funds through computer fraud. Under Polish legal convention, suspects’ surnames are abbreviated in official statements, which is why he is identified only as Roman Ż.

Police detained him in the Silesia region over the weekend and seized documents tied to Zondacrypto’s operations, along with valuable watches, according to Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has denied the charges and gave investigators a lengthy statement, his lawyer, Błażej Gazda, told reporters.

Gazda described his client as a former business partner of BitBay founder Sylwester Suszek, who reportedly helped manage the exchange before it adopted the Zondacrypto name in 2021. Prosecutors reportedly ordered his arrest partly over concerns he might flee the country, pointing to a planned trip to China; Gazda said the trip was for business and that Roman Ż. held a return ticket dated September 13.

Alleged Fraud and Money-Laundering Scheme

Investigators allege that a coordinated group siphoned user funds from Zondacrypto by tampering with the exchange’s internal data and interfering with how transactions were processed, a pattern that fits the broader cryptocurrency money laundering Poland probe now under review by prosecutors.

How the Group Allegedly Drained User Funds

Prosecutors say the group took no less than 7.8 million złoty, or around $2 million, from exchange users by making unauthorized changes, deletions and additions to Zondacrypto’s data and by interfering with how the platform processed and transmitted that information. This alleged scheme sits at the center of the case against Roman Ż. and is one of the clearest financial figures prosecutors have disclosed so far.

Property Deals and Laundering Tied to France

A separate but related set of charges targets three suspects detained on September 4: Anna P., Jaromira W. and Rafał Z., all held for three months pending further investigation. Prosecutors allege that nearly €8 million left the exchange operator’s account last October to purchase property in France, that a €2.9 million loan was falsely recorded as repaid, and that two properties in Katowice, worth 700,000 and 800,000 złoty, were transferred without payment. A further 7.5 million złoty is alleged to have been laundered through fictitious property purchases, with an additional count involving 1.7 million złoty.

One charge against Anna P. concerns the parallel investigation into Suszek’s disappearance. Prosecutors allege she obstructed that inquiry by removing a hard drive from a filling station’s CCTV recorder and by inciting false testimony. All three suspects have denied the allegations against them.

From BitBay to Zondacrypto: A Timeline of Collapse

Zondacrypto’s troubles trace back to its origins as BitBay, an exchange launched in Katowice in 2014 by Suszek that grew into one of Poland’s most recognized crypto platforms, at one point claiming more than a million registered users, most of them Polish. In 2020, the company shifted its registration to Estonia under a parent entity, BB Trade Estonia, and rebranded as Zondacrypto the following year.

Withdrawal Freeze and License Revocation

Cracks began showing publicly in early 2026 when customers reported delayed or frozen withdrawals. The exchange suspended Bitcoin deposits in March, citing market volatility, before freezing withdrawals entirely and going dark in April 2026. Estonia’s financial intelligence unit later revoked BB Trade Estonia’s operating license on June 29, 2026, after an earlier restriction had already barred the firm from accepting new customer assets.

Suszek himself has been missing since March 2022, and Polish authorities later merged the criminal probe into his disappearance with the wider Zondacrypto case, arguing that information about the exchange’s management and finances could help explain what happened to its founder. That merger helps explain why individuals tied to the exchange’s day-to-day operations, including Roman Ż., now face charges connected to both threads of the investigation.

Three Other Suspects, Thousands of Complaints

The Katowice regional prosecutor’s office opened its formal investigation in April 2026, examining suspected large-scale fraud and money laundering, and has since received several thousand complaints from customers unable to recover their holdings. Estimates of total customer losses tied to the collapse have reportedly climbed well above initial figures, underscoring how much larger this Zondacrypto crypto investigation has grown since it first opened.

Why this matters: the case highlights how quickly a regionally licensed exchange can unravel once regulators pull its authorization, leaving thousands of retail users with frozen holdings and little clarity on repayment. It also shows how European Union oversight of crypto platforms, handled at the national level even under shared frameworks, can leave gaps that only emerge after a collapse. For Polish users and for the broader European crypto market, the unfolding Zondacrypto pretrial detention proceedings will likely shape how regulators and prosecutors approach future cases of alleged Polish crypto exchange fraud.

With five suspects now facing charges and the investigation still active, prosecutors have signaled that additional evidence gathering and detention requests could follow as they work through thousands of unresolved complaints.

FAQ

Who is Roman Ż. in the Zondacrypto investigation?

Roman Ż. is the fifth suspect detained by Polish authorities, charged with membership in an organized criminal group and computer fraud related to Zondacrypto.

What financial crimes are alleged in the Zondacrypto case?

The suspects allegedly misappropriated at least 7.8 million złoty (roughly $2 million) through unauthorized data manipulations and laundered money through fictitious property transactions, including nearly €8 million used to buy property in France.

What happened to Zondacrypto as an exchange?

Zondacrypto started as BitBay in 2014 in Poland, changed its registration to Estonia in 2020, froze withdrawals, and went offline in April 2026. BB Trade Estonia had its license revoked on June 29, 2026.

When did the official investigation into Zondacrypto begin?

The Katowice regional prosecutor’s office launched the investigation in April 2026, receiving thousands of complaints related to fraud and money laundering.

Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.