Polish Olympic Committee chief Piesiewicz arrested in crypto bribery probe
Polish Olympic Committee president Radosław Piesiewicz was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes from collapsed crypto firm Zondacrypto. Ministers say the case exposes deep corruption in the Olympic movement.
Polish Olympic chief held over crypto kickbacks from collapsed Ponzi fund
Polish police arrested Radosław Piesiewicz, president of the Polish Olympic Committee, on Thursday on suspicion of accepting bribes from a cryptocurrency trading firm in exchange for sponsorship deals.
Sports Minister Jakub Rudnicki confirmed the arrest in a post on X. "Such a person should never have been president of the Polish Olympic Committee," Rudnicki wrote. "Piesiewicz has discredited Polish Olympics."
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski went further, describing Piesiewicz as a "symbol of the extreme corruption plaguing the Olympic movement." He said Piesiewicz's election to head the committee had been backed by the former government under the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Piesiewicz is suspected of receiving kickbacks from Zondacrypto, a now-defunct crypto fund that the government accuses of having links to nationalist opposition groups, organised crime and Russian intelligence services. The Polish government estimates that Zondacrypto's collapse caused losses of 350 million zlotys (€80 million), with around 30,000 people affected. The interior minister called Zondacrypto "in reality a Ponzi scheme."
Under a sponsorship deal Piesiewicz is accused of facilitating, Polish medal winners at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina in February were to receive their prizes in cryptocurrency. Media reports say those bonus payments were at best erratic.
Media outlets also reported that Piesiewicz received a watch worth approximately €40,000 from Zondacrypto chief Przemysław Kral. Piesiewicz has maintained he paid for the watch himself. Kral is said to be cooperating with prosecutors in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence ahead of trial.
Authorities launched the investigation in April, prompting most of Poland's sports federations to demand Piesiewicz's resignation. He is among multiple figures named by prosecutors in the Zondacrypto inquiry.
The case has drawn in other prominent political figures. Former justice minister and attorney general Zbigniew Ziobro has since left for the United States, whilst his former deputy Marcin Romanowski is said to be in a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova. Prosecutors are also examining Zondacrypto's ties to the pro-nationalist Republika broadcaster.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament that Zondacrypto's founder had "disappeared" and was "very probably" dead, and that the scandal involved "Russian mafia" money. President Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist elected in 2025, has blocked draft legislation to regulate Poland's crypto market on three separate occasions.
Zondacrypto was founded in 2014 by Sylwester Suszek, who disappeared in 2022. Kral subsequently took over as head of the company before it ceased trading.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)