Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said on September 7, 2026 that it had charged Roman Ż., detained two days earlier, with two offenses tied to the ZondaCrypto exchange investigation, exte
Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said on September 7, 2026 that it had charged Roman Ż., detained two days earlier, with two offenses tied to the ZondaCrypto exchange investigation, extending a widening organized-crime probe that has now produced five named suspects across three official announcements since late August. The move in the Zondacrypto case pairs allegations of participation in a criminal group with a claim of PLN 7.8 million in misappropriation, though prosecutors stress the suspect denies the charges and no court has yet ruled on his detention.
The charging development, disclosed by the Silesian branch of the National Prosecutor's Office Department for Organized Crime and Corruption in Katowice, marks the latest step in a case that authorities have built incrementally, joining separate proceedings and detaining suspects in staggered waves rather than a single sweep. A charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt, and Roman Ż. has not been convicted of any offense. For related coverage, see Martha Stewart Net Worth: From Homemaker to Business Mogul (A Case Study).
Roman Ż. was detained on September 5 and presented with charges concerning two offenses, according to the prosecution's announcement. He did not admit the alleged offenses and provided explanations, the office said, using paraphrased attribution rather than direct quotation. For related coverage, see Polish Central Bank's Gold Plan Sparks Market Reaction.
Offenses charged against Roman Ż.
2
Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said on September 7, 2026 that Roman Ż. faced charges concerning two offenses. He denied the alleged offenses; charges are not a conviction.Source: Poland's National Prosecutor's Office · September 7, 2026The first charge alleges participation in an organized criminal group aimed at computer fraud and harm to exchange users of no less than PLN 7.8 million, while the second concerns alleged misappropriation of that same PLN 7.8 million through unauthorized manipulation of computer data. Prosecutors anchored the counts in Article 258 § 1 of the Polish Criminal Code for group participation and Article 287 § 1 alongside related provisions for the second offense. For related coverage, see PolyNext Awards & Conference Dubai 2026: Advancing the Global Dialogue on Plastic Recycling and Circularity.
Alleged misappropriation attributed to Roman Ż.
PLN 7.8 million
Prosecutors allege Roman Ż. misappropriated PLN 7.8 million through unauthorized manipulation of computer data. He denied the alleged offenses. This amount is not a verified exchange-wide loss total.Source: Poland's National Prosecutor's Office · September 7, 2026The figure attaches specifically to the conduct alleged against Roman Ż. and is not a verified exchange-wide loss total; it should not be summed with amounts concerning other suspects or converted into a dollar equivalent that the announcement never provided.
Three directly published prosecution announcements document five distinct named suspects in chronological order, supporting an at-least-five count in the Zondacrypto case. Roman Ż. is described by unconfirmed reports as precisely the fifth suspect charged, though no official release explicitly states an exhaustive total or applies that ordinal to him.
The sequence began on August 27, when Radosław P. was detained and presented with two charges, which he denied, per the August 28 announcement that identified the investigation as case 1001-109.Ds.77.2022 and noted the exchange-user fraud proceeding was joined to it on July 19, 2026. Prosecutors then detained three further suspects, Anna P., Jaromira W. and Rafał Z., on September 2.
The official releases identify BB Trade Estonia OU as the operator of ZondaCrypto, situating the probe in a cross-border corporate structure that Polish authorities are treating under domestic organized-crime and computer-fraud statutes rather than a securities framework. The charges target named individuals; the announcements do not allege that the exchange's customers face charges.
Prosecutors decided to apply to the Katowice-Wschód District Court for Roman Ż.'s pretrial detention, citing risks of interference and flight and an available sentence of up to 10 years, according to the September 7 announcement. The release does not state that the court granted the application, leaving his custody status conditional as of the disclosure date.
That distinction matters against the earlier wave: a September 4 update confirmed the court had ordered three months of pretrial detention for Anna P., Jaromira W. and Rafał Z., all of whom denied their alleged offenses. Roman Ż.'s detention therefore remains a prosecutorial request, whereas the three earlier suspects are already subject to an actual judicial custody decision.
Several material points fall outside what prosecutors have disclosed rather than merely being absent from early coverage. The announcements do not confirm whether the court has ruled on Roman Ż.'s detention, nor do they set out an exhaustive suspect total or a definitive exchange-wide loss figure.
No verified independent reporting or industry reaction was obtained to corroborate the ordinal framing, and the alleged PLN 7.8 million tied to Roman Ż. should not be read as ZondaCrypto's total customer harm. Readers watching Poland's broader financial-enforcement posture, from crypto probes to the country's separate central bank gold accumulation strategy, should treat the ordinal count and any loss aggregation as unconfirmed pending further releases.
For exchange users and compliance watchers, the case illustrates how European prosecutors are pursuing crypto-venue operators through organized-crime and computer-fraud statutes, with a maximum 10-year exposure cited for the second charge against Roman Ż. The staggered detentions since August 27 suggest an active investigation still adding defendants rather than a closed enforcement file.
The next concrete trigger is the Katowice-Wschód District Court's ruling on the detention application, which would either confirm or reject Roman Ż.'s pretrial custody and mirror the three-month order already imposed on the earlier trio. Further prosecution announcements remain the authoritative channel, given that recent exchange-related enforcement globally, including cases where a portion of misappropriated funds was later returned, has hinged on how custody and asset-recovery steps unfold after initial charges.
What is the latest development in the ZondaCrypto case? Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said on September 7, 2026 that it charged Roman Ż., detained on September 5, with two offenses and asked a court to order his pretrial detention.
Who is the fifth suspect? Official releases name Roman Ż. as the newly charged suspect; unconfirmed reports describe him as the fifth person charged, but no announcement explicitly assigns that ordinal or states an exhaustive total.
What charges does the fifth suspect face? Two: alleged participation in an organized criminal group aimed at computer fraud, and alleged misappropriation of PLN 7.8 million through unauthorized manipulation of computer data.
Does being charged mean the suspect is guilty? No. A charge is an allegation. Roman Ż. denied the alleged offenses and provided explanations, and no conviction has been announced.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.
The post Polish Prosecutors Charge Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Case was initially published on Coincu.
