A court in Poland
has ordered the three-month detention of Robert Górny, a former board member of
Polish online currency exchange Cinkciarz.pl, as
part of a widening fraud investigation that has also implicated the company’s
president, Marcin Pióro.
However,
since he is currently outside the country, no temporary detention was applied.
According to the prosecutor’s office spokesperson, the charges against the two
carry a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison.
Cinkciarz.pl Former Board Member Detained in $12
Million Fraud Investigation
The
Regional Court in Poznań, Poland, approved the prosecutor’s request for
temporary arrest on March 12, 2025, after Górny was apprehended by officers
from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Bureau for Combating
Cybercrime, working alongside the police.
Prosecutors
have charged Górny participating in a fraud scheme that allegedly misled
numerous individuals, causing financial losses exceeding 49 million Polish
złoty (approximately $12 million). According to the Poznań Regional
Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect allegedly deceived customers about key aspects
of contracts made through the Cinkciarz.pl mobile application, including the
actual destination of funds collected from victims through online currency
exchange and payment services.
The
investigation claims these funds were diverted to finance operational
activities of companies within the Conotoxia Holding Capital Group instead of
being used for their intended purpose.
“Robert G.,
questioned by the prosecutor as a suspect, did not plead guilty to the alleged
offense and provided a statement in which he presented his defense strategy,”
the prosecutor’s office commented.
The court,
in its written justification for the detention order, agreed with the
prosecutor that the evidence gathered substantially supports the likelihood
that Górny committed the alleged crime.
Until
recently, Górny was a board member of Cinkciarz.pl sp. z o.o., as stated in the
prosecutor’s press release. However, Polish police now refer to him as a former
member, which aligns with the current information on the fintech’s website,
where his name no longer appears.
Meanwhile,
Górny’s LinkedIn profile states that he has worked for the past 14 years at a
“Poland FinTech Company” in Zielona Góra, which most likely refers to
Cinkciarz.pl, as the company is headquartered in that Polish city.
Cinkciarz.pl President
President Also Charged
Prosecutors
have also issued charges against Pióro, the President of Cinkciarz.pl’s
Management Board, who is currently outside Poland.
“The
prosecutor issued a decision to press fraud charges against Marcin P., the CEO
of Cinkciarz.pl sp. z o.o. However, no procedural actions have been carried out
against him due to his presence outside the country,” the Polish Police commented
in a separate statement.
Both
suspects face potential sentences of up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Regulatory Actions
The
investigation follows the Polish Financial Supervision Authority’s (KNF)
October decision
to revoke the payment services license of Conotoxia, a company owned by
Cinkciarz.pl. Prior to this action, customers had complained about delays in
currency exchange transactions and money transfers.
By January
2025, approximately
1,200 affected Cinkciarz.pl customers had filed complaints with the
prosecutor’s office. In December, prosecutors blocked 328 bank accounts
belonging to the company.
The Poznań
Regional Prosecutor’s Office has described the case as “developing,”
suggesting further actions may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
