Polish prosecutors have formally charged a suspect identified as Romana Ż. in the Zondacrypto investigation, alleging participation in an organized criminal group and the misappropriation of 7.8 million zlotys, or about $2.1 million, in user funds entrusted to the cryptocurrency exchange.
According to an official announcement released Monday, prosecutors also asked the Katowice-Wschód District Court to place the suspect in pretrial detention, citing concerns that the individual could flee or interfere with the investigation.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office said Romana Ż. was detained on Sept. 5 because of flight-risk concerns and was later questioned by prosecutors. The suspect denied the charges and gave a statement.
Allegations tied to the Zondacrypto probe
Prosecutors allege that Romana Ż. 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.
The charges follow an earlier step in the same investigation. Three other people detained on Sept. 2 were also charged over allegations including money laundering, misappropriation of company assets, and participation in an organized criminal group. A Polish court ordered all three to remain in pretrial detention for up to three months.
Broader case background
Cointelegraph previously reported that prosecutors had estimated losses connected to Zondacrypto at no less than 350 million zlotys.
In July, the investigation was merged with a separate probe into the 2022 disappearance of Sylwester Suszek, the founder of BitBay, which was later renamed Zondacrypto.
Separately, BB Trade Estonia, Zondacrypto’s Estonian operator, was declared bankrupt in August. Its first creditors’ meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17.