An axe in a Ferrari and Israeli citizenship: The giant company whose managers are disappearing one after another
The largest crypto giant in Eastern and Central Europe has been experiencing dramatic upheavals in recent years. The legendary CEO, nicknamed the "Crypto King," was likely murdered, leaving many questions. The person who replaced him has also disappeared, and it is claimed that he fled to Israel.
In short: A giant crypto company from Poland lost its CEO under extremely violent circumstances. Years later, his mobile phones were found, revealing a few clues about the drama. The company's clients realized they were also involved in a dramatic financial crisis. The replacement manager also disappeared after claiming everything was fine, and there is suspicion that he fled. He holds Israeli citizenship, which further complicates the search for him.
Polish crypto giant Zondacrypto has fallen into a mysterious crisis after two of its senior managers disappeared within four years under circumstances raising suspicions of violence and crime. The company's founder, Sylwester Suszek, disappeared in 2022 after arriving for a business meeting at a fuel depot in southern Poland. His family believes he was likely murdered. Recently, Przemysław Kral, the lawyer who replaced Suszek as the company's CEO, also disappeared, and rumors arose that he fled to Israel.
Suszek founded the company in 2014 under the name BitBay, and it became the largest cryptocurrency exchange in Eastern and Central Europe. Suszek, the son of a coal miner, was nicknamed the "Crypto King" in the Polish media and was known for his lavish lifestyle. He owned a luxury apartment in Warsaw, flew in a private helicopter, and owned luxury cars, including a Porsche and a Ferrari.
However, before his disappearance, Suszek began to fear for his life. His sister, Nicole, told The New York Times that her brother, who was usually an optimistic and energetic person, became anxious and fearful. The change came after an unknown person smashed the windshield of his Ferrari with an axe in the city of Katowice and left the axe embedded in the car. Suszek suspected that a former business partner, who he said was connected to the local criminal underworld, was behind the attack.
In March 2022, Suszek disappeared. His two phones were recently located in the area of a fuel depot and gas station in the city of Czeladź, near Katowice. He had arrived there in his Porsche to meet with a close friend and business partner, Marian Woszulek. Later, an indictment was filed against Woszulek for membership in a criminal organization, large-scale fraud, money laundering, and unlawful deprivation of liberty in connection with Suszek's disappearance. After the indictments were filed, he also disappeared.
Suszek's family received disturbing messages after his disappearance. In one, allegedly sent by Suszek himself to his sister, it was written that he was being held in harsh conditions and that they were threatening to cut off his fingers. In another message, likely sent by the kidnappers, it was said that he was crying, and his family members were warned that they would live in fear if they did not pay. Despite searches and an investigation, Suszek's body was never found.
After Suszek's disappearance, the company's management passed to Kral, who was his lawyer and deputy. The company changed its name to Zondacrypto and moved its registration to Estonia. However, questions began to accumulate there as well. Estonian authorities raised concerns regarding the company's compliance with anti-money laundering requirements, and later questions arose regarding whether Zondacrypto actually had the assets its parent company reported.
Despite the doubts, Zondacrypto invested heavily in marketing and sponsorship. The company sponsored football clubs in Poland, Italy, and Estonia, the Polish Olympic Committee, and foundations linked to Polish politicians. It even partially funded a gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in Poland last year through a television channel associated with the right.
At the end of 2025, clients began complaining about delays in receiving funds. Kral claimed it was a temporary problem caused by an upgrade to the exchange's website and promised that the money would be returned within days. However, the delays continued, and in the spring the crisis worsened when Zondacrypto froze all withdrawals. At the same time, Kral began threatening journalists who were investigating the company's situation. One of them said he received a message from him that mentioned his private medical information.
In April, Kral published a video in which he tried to reassure clients and claimed that the company had reserves of 4,500 Bitcoin, worth more than $330 million. According to him, the problem was that access to the funds was delayed because only Suszek, the manager who disappeared three years earlier, held the digital key needed to open the wallet. Crypto experts doubted the version after it turned out that the wallet Kral pointed to had not been active for almost a decade.
On June 29, the Financial Intelligence Unit in Estonia revoked the license of Zondacrypto's parent company. At the same time, the company became the subject of investigations and discussions in Poland, as authorities in Katowice opened an investigation into the circumstances of its establishment and operations. At the center of the discussion is the question of whether it is a legitimate company that was hit by failed investments in the crypto market, or a criminal enterprise intended from the start for money laundering.
In April, Kral himself disappeared, and he is a person who could have provided many answers regarding the company's situation and its clients' funds. He has not been seen for four months, and unverified reports have appeared that he was seen in Israel, Botswana, and Dubai. Lawyer Robert Nogacki, who represents Zondacrypto clients, believes that Kral is likely in Southeast Asia. For him, the conclusion is clear: it was a scam from day one.
As for Kral's disappearance, the picture is different from Suszek's. Kral was last heard from on April 16, when he posted the video in which he addressed clients and promised that their money would be returned. A few days later, it was reported in Poland that he had left the country and moved to Israel, with Israeli citizenship. According to reports, he left Poland on April 17, against the backdrop of the opening of a fraud investigation against Zondacrypto. The fact that Kral holds Israeli citizenship may complicate the possibility of his extradition to Poland.
