Zondacrypto boss seeks leniency for testimony on political ties: Report

Przemysław Kral, the head of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, has reportedly been charged with participating in an alleged large-scale fraud and has begun cooperating with Polish prosecutors.

Kral is seeking a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony that could include details about Zondacrypto’s funding of right-wing politicians, Polish outlet Onet reported Monday.

According to Onet, prosecutors estimate Zondacrypto customers lost at least 2.4 billion Polish zlotys ($650 million). Investigators said the exchange used only part of customer funds to buy crypto, while the rest was transferred to private accounts controlled by Zondacrypto managers.

Onet reported Friday that Kral had been negotiating the terms of possible cooperation with prosecutors for six months. He reportedly held informal meetings with prosecutors in Poland, Sicily and Persian Gulf countries to discuss a potential deal.

Kral has remained silent on X since publicly disclosing in mid-April that Zondacrypto could not access a cold wallet holding about 4,500 Bitcoin. He has denied accusations of misappropriating funds and said the wallet’s private keys were supposed to have been transferred by Zonda founder and former CEO Sylwester Suszek, who has been missing since 2022.

Zondacrypto was the main sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in Poland days before the second round of the presidential election won by Karol Nawrocki. The exchange spent 37 million zlotys on advertising with broadcaster Telewizja Republika in its final year, while companies owned by Kral made payments to foundations linked to politicians Zbigniew Ziobro and Przemysław Wipler.

Cointelegraph was unable to reach Kral or Zondacrypto for comment. Their email addresses have been unavailable since Kral’s April disclosure that the exchange could not access the Bitcoin wallet.

Related: Zondacrypto CEO goes off radar as Poland probe deepens