Polish authorities have charged a former police officer, identified as Artur K., in connection with the collapse of the Zondacrypto exchange. The suspect faces multiple charges, including membership in an organized criminal group, aiding in the misappropriation of user funds, computer fraud, and money laundering. Prosecutors discovered documentation related to the exchange's operations during a search of his residence.
The investigation is linked to the case of Zondacrypto founder Sylwester Suszek, who was last seen in March 2022. Police are currently searching a fuel depot using specialized forensic equipment. Authorities are treating Suszek's disappearance as a case of unlawful deprivation of liberty. Previous reports indicated that a hard drive was removed from a CCTV recorder at a filling station where he was last spotted.
Zondacrypto, originally founded as BitBay in 2014, claimed a user base of 1.3 million clients. The company moved its registration to Estonia in 2020 under the name BB Trade Estonia. Following the freezing of withdrawals and the platform going offline in April, the Estonian financial intelligence unit revoked the operator's license on June 29.
Since August, at least five other individuals have been charged in the ongoing investigation, including Radosław P., the former head of the Polish Olympic Committee. While several suspects have publicly denied the allegations, none of the charges have yet been tested in a court of law.
