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Katowice Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Probe

The detention intensifies a criminal inquiry that seeks to trace millions moved from customer accounts and recover assets across Europe.

Overview

  • A Katowice court approved pretrial detention for Roman Ż. on Monday after prosecutors charged him with membership of an organized criminal group and computer fraud linked to the collapsed exchange Zondacrypto.
  • Prosecutors say the group from 2020–2026 used unauthorized changes, deletions and additions to exchange records to misappropriate at least 7.8 million złoty from users.
  • Investigators have frozen about €4 million in a foreign bank account and identified more than 100 million złoty in assets so far while thousands of customers report collective losses estimated at about 350 million złoty.
  • The criminal probe has been formally merged with the 2022 disappearance of founder Sylwester Suszek and has produced multiple pretrial detentions and charges including against a high‑profile sports official.
  • Poland is coordinating with Estonian and other European authorities as the investigation, extended into early 2027, determines whether and how customers can be compensated and how crypto oversight should change.