Polish prosecutors charge Zondacrypto suspect and seek pretrial detention over alleged 7.8 million zlotys misappropriation

Polish prosecutors have formally charged a suspect identified as Romana Ż. in their investigation into cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, alleging participation in an organized criminal group and misappropriation of 7.8 million zlotys ($2.1 million) in user funds. For PSPs and acquiring teams, the useful part is simple: this is no longer just an internal compliance headache for the exchange, but a criminal case with detention requests, asset-loss estimates, and a wider probe around the same business.

1. According to an official announcement on Monday, prosecutors asked the Katowice-Wschód District Court to place Romana Ż. in pretrial detention, arguing the suspect could flee or interfere with the investigation.
2. Romana Ż. was detained on Sept. 5, questioned by prosecutors, denied the charges, and provided a statement, Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office said.
3. Prosecutors allege the suspect acted with others to misappropriate funds entrusted to the exchange by making unauthorized changes to computer records and interfering with the processing and transmission of exchange data.
4. The new charges follow the detention on Sept. 2 of three other suspects, who were later charged in the same investigation with money laundering, misappropriation of company assets, and participation in an organized criminal group. A Polish court ordered all three held in pretrial detention for up to three months.
5. Prosecutors previously estimated losses connected to Zondacrypto at no less than 350 million zlotys. The investigation was also merged in July with a probe into the 2022 disappearance of Sylwester Suszek, the founder of BitBay, later renamed Zondacrypto.

Zondacrypto’s Estonian operator, BB Trade Estonia, was declared bankrupt in August, and its first creditors’ meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17. For high-risk payment providers, that combination of criminal allegations, bankruptcy, and a cross-linked investigation is the part that usually matters most when deciding whether to keep processing, tighten controls, or step away.