Biznes Fakty
Cinkciarz. The president of the company responsible for the online currency exchange is wanted on an arrest warrant.
The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań has reported that Marcin P., the CEO of Cinkciarz.pl, is being sought under an arrest warrant. He is currently outside of Poland, and the court has mandated his temporary detention.
In March, authorities decided to file charges, including fraud, against Marcin P. Current estimates from prosecutors indicate that customers of Cinkciarz.pl incurred losses exceeding PLN 112 million.
On Monday, Anna Marszałek, spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Poznań, announced that the order to locate the CEO of Cinkciarz.pl was issued by letter immediately after the Poznań court authorized Marcin P.’s arrest for a duration of 30 days from the time of his apprehension.
Over 7,000 notifications
Since October of the previous year, the Poznań Regional Prosecutor’s Office has been looking into the fraud involving numerous users of the Cinkciarz.pl online currency exchange service. Investigators have received over 7,000 complaints from customers who did not receive their deposits. By the end of December, the prosecutor’s office opted to block a total of 328 bank accounts linked to the online currency exchange business.
Concurrently, investigators decided to file charges of fraud against Marcin P., the CEO of Cinkciarz.pl sp. z o. o. However, he was not interrogated as he currently resides abroad.
In its arrest order for Marcin P., the court concurred with the prosecutor’s viewpoint that the evidence collected in the case strongly favors a conviction for the crime he is accused of. It also recognized the prosecutor’s concerns regarding the possibility of obstructing justice, the suspect’s evasion of law enforcement, and the likelihood of a severe penalty.
The offenses attributed to the suspect carry a potential prison sentence of up to 25 years.
Read also: Court ruling on the arrest of Cinkciarz.pl’s CEO
The first detainees have already been captured
In March, Robert G., a member of the management board at Cinkciarz.pl, was arrested in connection with this case. He faces charges of aiding and abetting fraud by leading several individuals to improperly manage their assets. Robert G. has pleaded not guilty to these allegations. At the investigators’ request, the court has placed him in temporary detention.
In late May, a Poznań court, at the request of investigators, also temporarily detained Monika J., the chief accountant and representative for Cinkciarz.pl, in this matter. She has been charged with involvement in a fraud scheme that entailed the misappropriation of assets by multiple individuals. She admitted guilt regarding the charges and provided a thorough explanation.
The prosecutor’s office has extended the freeze on bank accounts associated with Cinkciarz.pl and the companies Conotoxia and Conotoxia Holding until the latter half of December.
KNF alert
In early October of last year, the Polish Financial Supervision Authority announced it was looking into customer grievances regarding the currency exchange services offered by the online platform Cinkciarz.pl. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) reported that it had received complaints about delays in currency exchanges and money transfers. Customers were to be notified of any issues, which were expected to be resolved within a specific timeframe.
The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) has revoked the payment service license of Conotoxia, a company operating through agents Cinkciarz.pl and Cinkciarz.pl Marketing. Following this notification from the KNF, the Poznań Regional Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into frauds perpetrated against numerous users of the online currency exchange service.
