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Radosław Piesiewicz, President of the Polish Olympic Committee, was detained as part of the investigation into the cryptocurrency platform Zondacrypto.
The prosecutor’s office stated that Piesiewicz is suspected of receiving bribes in exchange for sponsorship agreements. Journalists from Euronews learned that in February, winter Olympic medalists were to receive awards in cryptocurrency from Zondacrypto.
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A joint investigation by Polish TV channels TVN24 and Wirtualna Polska revealed that Zondacrypto CEO Przemysław Kral personally gifted Piesiewicz a watch worth over $40,000. Piesiewicz himself claimed that he purchased the watch with his own money. The prosecutor’s office did not comment on the journalists’ findings, stating only that investigative actions are ongoing.
The cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto went bankrupt in April due to a lack of liquidity. According to media reports, the CEO left Poland and is conducting secret negotiations with law enforcement agencies to secure a lighter sentence. A few days ago, prosecutors charged Kral with fraud involving 2.4 billion Polish zlotys (approximately $650 million). Kral promised to testify against Polish politicians and other influential figures whom the investigation believes are connected to the exchange’s collapse.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the crypto company of supporting right-wing radical politicians. The exchange sponsored the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event last year and openly supported the presidential candidacy of Karol Nawrocki, who subsequently won the election.
Previously, Gazeta Wyborcza, citing Polish intelligence services, reported that members of a Russian organized crime group from the city of Tambov were behind the control of Zondacrypto. The gang members purchased a controlling stake in the platform back in 2018, when it was known as BitBay, paying for it in two installments of several dozen million euros each, the newspaper claimed.
