Key Takeaways:
- Prosecutors in Poland charged Roman Ż. with alleged crimes involving 7.8 million zlotys ($2.1 million) in Zondacrypto user funds.
- The authorities claim that the suspect was a member of an organized gang that attacked crypto exchange customers.
- Prosecutors in Katowice have urged a court to impose a summons on defendants, alleging they are liable to flight and tampering with evidence.
The investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto in Poland has made another step forward, with the initiation of criminal prosecution against a newly detained suspect. The case involves alleged manipulation of exchange data and the loss of millions of zlotys in the funds of customers.
Zondacrypto Suspect Faces Two Charges
On 5th September 2026, Roman Ż. was arrested and later interviewed by the National Prosecutor’s Office in Poland’s branch in the city of Gliwice. He is accused of serving as a member of an organised criminal group and allegedly taking assets belonging to the cryptocurrency exchange that were trusted in his custody.
At least 7.8 million Polish zlotys ($2.1 million) are alleged to have been lost in connection with the charges.
The alleged activity included unauthorized alterations of computer records which comprised the cryptocurrency exchange system, prosecutors said. This involved changing, deleting, or adding information, interfering with the automatic processing, storage, and transmission of exchange information, among other things, investigators say.
Roman Ż. denies the allegations and gives an explanation to prosecutors. In other words, at this point it’s merely allegations, it hasn’t been converted into a conclusion of guilt by a final judgment in court.
Read More: Coinbase and Singapore Police Stop $4.2M Crypto Scam Losses in 145+ Rescue Cases
Prosecutors Seek Pretrial Detention
A statement by the suspect coupled with the evidence gathered was said to leave prosecutors with a high degree of probability the complainants had been victims of offenses. They also had the reasons for fighting for the investigation in favor of detention.
The National Prosecutor’s Office has asked the Katowice-Wschód District Court to temporarily detain Roman Ż.
The prospect of a lengthy prison term, up to 10 years, and any fear the suspect will obstruct the investigation or evade punishment was cited by prosecutors. The investigation yielded evidence that bolstered those suspicions, authorities said.
Crypto Exchange Investigation Expands
The new accusations bring home another development from an ongoing criminal inquiry into one of Poland’s more popular cryptocurrency exchanges Zondacrypto.
The unauthorized alterations have a specific focus on exchange records, highlighting the critical importance of such financial documents within crypto platforms for maintaining accurate customer portfolios, transactions, and asset movement records.
If an exchange is alleged to have been used for the purpose of such manipulation it could be involved in tainted funds moving through the exchange or failing to provide methods for doing so.
Polish prosecutors are still investigating what had happened around the Zondacrypto project, and its alleged participants. The new filing does not prove the defendant’s innocence, but rather raises the possibility of a scheme for millions of dollars in customer crypto holdings.
Read More: Russia Busts 9 Illegal Crypto Exchanges in Moscow Over Ukraine-Linked Scam Funds
