An investigation into the exchange was initiated on April 17. On the same day, the investigation was entirely entrusted to the management of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime in Wrocław.
During his speech in the Senate, Myrcha indicated that investigators are examining whether the Zondacrypto platform misled customers about the possibility of purchasing and storing traditional currencies and cryptocurrencies, and thus led to unfavorable disposal of property.
Zondacrypto scandal. Deputy Minister of Justice on the scale of activities
Prosecutors are also investigating the issue of receiving, storing and transferring funds resulting from crimes. They conducted several dozen searches, during which they secured extensive documentation, data carriers and electronic data – this material is currently being analyzed.
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Myrcha noted that on April 20, the Chief Commander of the Police established an investigative group operating within the economic and criminal teams, whose tasks include, among others: conducting activities in the investigation of the Katowice prosecutor's office.
On April 22, the investigation was supervised by the national prosecutor, who two days later, at the request of the regional prosecutor in Katowice, established a team at the Katowice regional prosecutor's office to conduct a preparatory investigation into the Zondacrypto case. It included three prosecutors with experience in handling this type of cases, including the head of the cybercrime department of the Katowice prosecutor's office – the PK informed at the time.
Myrcha also emphasized that steps have been taken to secure funds for the injured, although details regarding the amount secured are not known yet. Persons wishing to file a report may contact the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Katowice.
As Myrcha said, several dozen searches were also carried out, as a result of which “extensive documentation and numerous data carriers and electronic data” were secured. The deputy head of the Ministry of Justice informed that they are currently being inspected.
The deputy minister noted that due to the ongoing reports of crimes committed, the damage in the Zondacrypto case is still being assessed. He recalled that it is currently calculated at a minimum of PLN 350 million.
The role of the Internal Security Agency in the Zondacrypto investigation
In the course of the proceedings, cooperation was established with prosecutors from Estonia, where the company BB Trade Estonia OÜ, which runs the Zondacrypto exchange, is based. However, a joint investigative team has not been established yet as a decision on this matter has not been made. Companies affiliated with the stock exchange also operate in other jurisdictions, including: in Luxembourg, Dubai and Switzerland – said Tomasz Siemiątkowski, head of the Department of Economic Law at the Warsaw School of Economics, in an interview with PAP.
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The deputy coordinator of special services, Radosław Kujawa, emphasized in the Senate on Wednesday that from the point of view of the special services, i.e. the Internal Security Agency, dealing with this area involves collecting information and transmitting it to the appropriate recipients. — The service combats threats to state security, also in the sphere of economic threats, but also in the sphere of contact between business and politics, he added.
Kujawa emphasized that Zondacrypto's activity in the last year resulted in increased interest in the service. He also noted that the Internal Security Agency (ABW) provided the prosecutor's office with all information related to the cryptocurrency market, especially since much earlier this market was used, among others, by organized criminal groups.
— I am deeply convinced that the Internal Security Agency has fulfilled its obligations within the scope of its statutory tasks and competences. She was the first to point out the threats associated with this entity. She provided this information on an ongoing basis and cooperated with the police and the prosecutor's office, Kujawa said.
The prosecutor's office is investigating the Zondacrypto case
Since April 17, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Katowice has been investigating possible fraud of Zondacrypto exchange customers and money laundering. The prosecutor's office is investigating fraud of significant value and money laundering. National prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said in the media that “no thread, no hypothesis in these proceedings will be omitted, just like the Russian trail, the thread of criminal groups.”
The Zondacrypto exchange has a portfolio of 4.5 thousand. bitcoins worth over USD 300 million, but – as the president of Zondacrypto, Przemysław Kral, announced on April 16 – the keys to them are held by the missing Sylwester Suszek, the founder of the BitBay exchange, the predecessor of Zondacrypto. Suszek went missing in March 2022.
