Former BitBay Executive Arrested, Faces Fraud Charges
Polish prosecutors have charged Roman Ż., a former business partner of missing BitBay/Zondacrypto founder Sylwester Suszek, with two counts including fraud. He was arrested last Saturday in the Silesia region of Poland.
His lawyer stated that Roman Ż. assisted in managing the exchange before its rebranding from BitBay to Zonda. Roman Ż. denies the charges and provided detailed statements to investigators. During a search, police seized valuables including watches and documents linked to Zondacrypto.
Prosecutors Cite Flight Risk, Court to Decide Detention
The prosecutor sought an arrest warrant after learning that Roman Ż. planned to travel to China, citing flight risk. The lawyer described the trip as a business journey and noted that he held a return ticket dated September 13. A court will decide whether to keep Roman Ż. in pretrial detention during the investigation.
Exchange Collapse Leaves Clients With Heavy Losses
BitBay rebranded to Zondacrypto in 2021. The exchange halted operations in April, following a freeze on client withdrawals. Estimated losses amount to at least 35 million zloty (approximately $94 million). Estonia's Financial Intelligence Unit partially suspended the license of the brand's entity, BB Trade Estonia OÜ. Polish prosecutors are investigating suspected large-scale fraud and money laundering, and by June had received more than 3,600 complaints.
Case Merged With Founder's Disappearance
The case is also linked to the March 2022 disappearance of Sylwester Suszek. In August, prosecutors merged the Zondacrypto investigation with the missing-person case, which remains active.