Zbigniew Ziobro faces scrutiny over cryptocurrency-related donations

Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro is facing criticism following revelations regarding a 450,000 PLN donation made to his foundation by Przemysław Kral, the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto.

While Ziobro had previously claimed a lack of knowledge regarding the cryptocurrency market—comparing his understanding to that of "hieroglyphs"—newly disclosed documents suggest otherwise. A letter dated January 26, 2018, addressed to then-Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, shows that Ziobro, acting as Minister of Justice at the time, had actively sought the regulation of the cryptocurrency market after receiving warnings from the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and the National Bank of Poland.

Waldemar Żurek has commented that Ziobro’s defense is collapsing in light of these documents, noting the contradiction between his claims of naivety and his previous official actions regarding money laundering risks in the sector. Prosecutors are reportedly verifying evidence related to financial flows involving Zondacrypto and the Institute of a Sovereign Poland Foundation.