The 2019 correspondence - weapons, drugs and capital for a cryptocurrency exchange
In May 2026, TVN24 journalists revealed the private correspondence of Sylwester Suszek, the founder of the BitBay exchange - the predecessor of today's Zondacrypto. The content of the 2019 emails is shocking even for people accustomed to financial scandals in the cryptocurrency industry. In emails from a person signing themselves "Javier Gomez" - a pseudonym compared to the Polish "Jan Kowalski" in the criminal underworld - there are detailed offers to trade in weapons, ammunition, drugs, explosives, gold bars and even entire refineries.
What is particularly significant from a legal perspective is that Suszek did not ignore these proposals. According to the journalists' findings, he passed them on to Przemysław Kral - a lawyer who subsequently became president of Zondacrypto. The correspondence also contains the names of individuals known to law enforcement in several countries, including Paweł F., nicknamed "Karzeł" ("Dwarf"), and Kreshnik R., known as "Nik". Taken together, it paints a picture not of isolated irregularities, but of a systemic link between the exchange and the international criminal underworld.
For Zondacrypto's affected clients, this correspondence is of fundamental importance. If it is admitted into the body of evidence, it could significantly strengthen allegations of money laundering and fraud - and thereby make it easier to pursue compensation claims.
The Russian Tambov mafia and mysterious entities from the Emirates
The revealed correspondence fits into a broader picture that Polish investigative media have been building for months. According to earlier findings by "Gazeta Wyborcza", control of BitBay during the crisis of 2018-2019 was taken over by the Russian Tambov criminal group. Officially, the shares went to three entities registered in the United Arab Emirates, established by Suszek.
The emails from "Gomez" potentially explain where the capital suddenly came from that allowed the exchange not only to survive a deep crisis, but to become the leader of the Polish cryptocurrency market and a sponsor of the Polish Olympic Committee. From a criminal law perspective, this is a classic scheme in which:
- Funds from illegal sources are introduced into legitimate economic circulation through a cryptocurrency exchange platform;
- The ownership structure is deliberately obscured by foreign entities registered in jurisdictions with limited transparency;
- Persons in management roles (so-called "straw men") act as intermediaries between the criminal environment and legitimate business;
- Affected clients deposit their funds on the platform without knowing the real origin of the capital or the management structure.
This mechanism, described in criminal law doctrine as money laundering (Article 299 of the Polish Criminal Code), carries a custodial sentence of between one and 10 years. Where it is carried out within an organised criminal group, the penalty is even more severe.
Przemysław Kral - the phantom president and the missing 4,500 bitcoins
The role of Przemysław Kral in the whole scandal is taking on ever darker hues. This lawyer by training, who officially heads Zondacrypto, informed the exchange's clients in April 2026 of a situation unprecedented in the history of the Polish cryptocurrency market. The exchange lost access to the private keys of a so-called cold wallet containing 4,500 bitcoins with an estimated value of around $330 million. These funds constituted security for client withdrawals.
After this statement was published, Kral left Monaco and is hiding from the justice system. His last known location is Dubai or the Israeli city of Caesarea. The prosecutor's office had previously established that Kral played a key role in the attempt to suppress the "Superwizjer" report from 2019 - around PLN 4.2 million in cryptocurrencies was allocated to that operation.
The newly revealed 2019 correspondence definitively undermines the narrative that Kral was merely a nominal president unaware of the true nature of the business. The messages Suszek sent him place him at the very centre of operations, not on their periphery. For those affected, this means the possibility of directing claims straight at the people managing the company.
The prosecutor's investigation - what we know and what the affected can expect
The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Katowice is currently conducting an investigation covering two main strands: fraud to the detriment of the exchange's clients and money laundering. The scale of the proceedings is enormous - the victims' losses are estimated at at least PLN 350 million, and the number of complaints filed has already exceeded two thousand.
The revealed correspondence is highly likely to be added to the case file as a further piece of evidence. For those affected by the Zondacrypto scandal, it is crucial to understand the legal routes available for enforcing their rights:
- Registering as an injured party in the ongoing criminal proceedings at the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Katowice;
- Pursuing civil claims - both within the criminal trial (adhesion claim) and in separate civil proceedings;
- Action at international level - some of those affected have already taken legal steps in Estonia, where Zondacrypto held an operating licence;
- Securing the suspects' assets by applying to the prosecutor's office for preventive measures;
- Cooperation with other victims - group claims can increase effectiveness and reduce the cost of pursuing claims.
It is worth stressing that time is working against the victims. The sooner legal action is taken, the greater the chance of effectively securing and recovering lost funds.
Will the perpetrators answer before a court? The legal perspective
The Zondacrypto scandal is one of the largest financial frauds in the history of the Polish cryptocurrency market. The combination of strands relating to international organised crime, money laundering and investment fraud makes the case unprecedented in both scale and complexity.
The key question - whether Suszek, Kral and the other responsible persons will stand trial - remains unanswered for now. The international nature of the case, the suspects hiding in jurisdictions that make extradition difficult, and a complex corporate structure with entities in the United Arab Emirates pose serious challenges for law enforcement.
Nevertheless, the revealed correspondence significantly strengthens the prosecutor's position. These documents could form the basis for issuing a European Arrest Warrant or requests for international cooperation through Interpol. For affected investors, it is a signal that it is worth taking an active part in the proceedings and not giving up on pursuing their rights.
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