Zondacrypto victim lost 40,000 zloty: "The state should be vigilant"
An anonymous victim in the Zondacrypto scandal revealed details of losses to Polsat News and expressed criticism over the inaction of state authorities.
Zondacrypto scandal victim: I lost 40 thousand zloty, the state failed
An anonymous victim in the cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto case revealed details of his financial losses and the workings of the scheme to Polsat News. The interviewee emphasised that he expects effective action from the state.
Polsat News reporter Edyta Kietlińska reached a man who—requesting anonymity—described his situation. According to his account, he lost approximately 40 thousand zloty. He learned about the exchange's problems from the media.
"I used the help of one of many law firms. I entrusted them with proceedings, namely a withdrawal request and a report to the prosecutor's office," the interviewee said. He expressed cautious optimism: "I have not lost hope that some of the funds can be recovered. I hope that the costs of this recovery will not be higher than the amount lost."
The informant also described the moment when he learned of Zondacrypto's troubles. "At first I thought something could still be done. Unfortunately, I was probably already in a situation where there were no chances whatsoever. Perhaps those in the know had a chance to withdraw from this exchange," he noted.
He worked with Zondacrypto for five years. To date, he has spent approximately five per cent of the value of his losses on the legal process of recovering funds.
Criticism of state authorities and political ties
The interviewee pointed out that he was more concerned about the systemic situation than his own losses. "Things are emerging that link the exchange with politicians, and I would like the state to be effective and, if it issues a licence, to respond to things that happen in breach of the permissions granted," the victim assessed. "If law enforcement had any information that something was going wrong at Zonda, they should not have been inactive," he added.
He also criticised the politicisation of the case. "People like me should not bear the costs because someone neglected their duties or withheld information. The emotions are mainly related to the fact that the state should be more vigilant about this. Not play it politically, involve the president or other institutions in it. Not shift blame back and forth," the Polsat News interviewee said.
History of the exchange: from BitBay to Estonian insolvency
Zondacrypto began operations in Poland in 2014 under the name BitBay. In 2018, the Financial Supervision Commission placed the exchange on a public warning list. The company moved to Malta for a year, and from the end of 2019 it operated in Estonia. A court in Tallinn issued an insolvency order for the exchange operator.
Prosecutor investigation and arrests
The prosecutor's office opened an investigation into Zondacrypto in April. It concerns fraud of significant value and money laundering. To date, several thousand criminal reports have been filed.
In August, the investigation was combined with proceedings concerning the disappearance of Zondacrypto founder Sylwester Suszka. The man went missing in March 2022. He was last seen at a petrol station owned by Marian W. known as "Maniek".
In connection with the investigation, two women linked to "Maniek" were arrested—Anna P., his close associate, and Jaromira W., the former wife of the missing man. Both women are accused of acting to the detriment of Zondacrypto operator—BB Trade Estonia company. Rafał Z. was also arrested, who was charged with embezzlement of funds of this operator. All three individuals were placed in temporary custody.
As part of the investigation, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee Radosław Piesiewicz was also arrested and remanded in custody. He faced charges of paid protection and satisfying a group of creditors to the detriment of other persons in connection with the exchange's threatened insolvency. Piesiewicz denied guilt.
Source: Google News PL