Biznes Fakty
Cinkciarz.pl. A Poznań court issued an arrest warrant for the company's president.
Cinkciarz.pl websiteCinkciarz.pl
A court in Poznań has sanctioned the temporary detention of Marcin P., the CEO of Cinkciarz.pl, who lives abroad. This ruling is not conclusive. Prosecutors estimate that clients of the online currency exchange platform lost a total of PLN 112 million. In March of this year, charges were filed against the company’s CEO, including allegations of fraud.
Since October of the previous year, the Poznań Regional Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating the fraudulent activities affecting numerous users of the Cinkciarz.pl online currency exchange service.
Authorities received more than 7,000 reports from customers who did not receive their deposits. By the end of December, the prosecutor’s office had decided to freeze a total of 328 bank accounts associated with the online currency exchange company.
Arrests have already occurred in the Cinkciarz case
In March, Robert G., a member of the management board of Cinkciarz.pl, was apprehended in connection with this investigation. He faces charges of participating in a fraudulent scheme that led to several individuals being deprived of their property. At that time, investigators assessed the total damages at over PLN 49 million. Robert G. has pleaded not guilty to the accusations. Following a request from investigators, the court ordered the suspect’s temporary detention. Concurrently, charges, including fraud, were also brought against Marcin P., the CEO of Cinkciarz.pl sp. z o.o., but he could not be interrogated due to his residence outside the country.
Court ruling regarding the CEO
Prosecutor Anna Marszałek, spokesperson for the Poznań Regional Prosecutor’s Office, informed PAP on Friday that the court approved the investigators’ request to hold Marcin P. temporarily for 30 days starting from the date of his detention, effectively allowing for what is termed pre-trial detention. This provides a legal basis, for instance, for the police to detain a suspect.
Prosecutor Marszałek noted that this court ruling is not yet final.
Accountant detained
At the end of May, a Poznań court, at the request of investigators, also temporarily detained Monika J., the chief accountant and authorized representative of Cinkciarz.pl. She has been charged with being complicit in a fraudulent scheme involving the misappropriation of assets from numerous individuals. The woman admitted guilt to the charges and provided a thorough explanation. A spokesperson for the Poznań prosecutor’s office indicated that investigators had expanded the charges against the suspects and revised the total damages inflicted on the portal’s customers, which now exceeds PLN 112 million. The individuals implicated in this case could face up to 25 years in prison.
Ongoing investigation and account freezes for Cinkciarz.pl
The prosecutor’s office has extended the freezing of bank accounts linked to Cinkciarz.pl, Conotoxia, and Conotoxia Holding until the latter half of December. In early October of the previous year, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority announced it was investigating customer complaints regarding the provision of currency exchange services by Cinkciarz.pl. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) reported receiving 13 complaints about delays in currency exchanges and money transfers. Customers were informed that the issues should be resolved by the end of October. The following day, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) revoked the authorization for Conotoxia to provide payment services through its agents Cinkciarz.pl and Cinkciarz.pl Marketing. In October, based on a notification from the KNF, the Poznań Regional Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into fraud affecting numerous users of the online currency exchange service.
