Polish prosecutors have formally charged Roman Ż., a former business partner of missing BitBay founder Sylwester Suszek, with two criminal offenses as the investigation into the collapsed Zondacrypto exchange widens. He was arrested on Saturday in Poland’s Silesia region and questioned at the National Prosecutor’s Office branch in Katowice. His lawyer, Błażej Gazda, confirmed one charge concerns fraud, while authorities have not publicly disclosed the second allegation. Ż. denied wrongdoing and provided an extensive statement.
Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention, citing a planned trip to China as a flight risk. Gazda said the journey was a business trip and that his client held a return ticket for Sept. 13. During searches, officers seized valuable watches and documents linked to Zondacrypto operations.
The exchange, founded by Suszek in 2014 as BitBay and rebranded to Zondacrypto in 2021, reported more than one million registered users. Customer complaints about delayed withdrawals emerged in early 2026; the platform halted trading in April and its website went offline on April 23. Prosecutors estimate losses exceed 350 million zlotys, roughly $94 million, and more than 3,600 complaints have been filed. The company-linked ZND token lost nearly all of its value.
Investigators have linked the collapse in part to an inaccessible cold storage wallet holding about 4,500 Bitcoin. Authorities have frozen €4 million in a bank account and secured more than 100 million zlotys in assets that could support future compensation claims. Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit restricted the license of BB Trade Estonia OÜ, and the Harju County Court admitted a bankruptcy petition on July 6, 2026.
The criminal docket now also incorporates the unsolved disappearance of Suszek, who vanished on March 10, 2022. Roman Ż. is the fifth person charged. Others include stock-market investor Rafał Z., Jaromira W., Anna P., and Polish Olympic Committee President Radosław Piesiewicz, who faces allegations of paid influence and preferential creditor treatment.
The case is fueling Poland’s debate over crypto regulation under the EU’s MiCA framework. On Sept. 4, lawmakers failed by 25 votes to override President Karol Nawrocki’s third veto of legislation that would make the KNF the national crypto supervisor. Prime Minister Donald Tusk cited Zondacrypto testimony while urging support for the bill.
