Polish Olympic Committee President arrested in corruption probe

Shockwaves are reverberating through Poland following the arrest of Radosław Piesiewicz, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee. Authorities apprehended Piesiewicz in Warsaw as part of an ongoing investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto.

Officers from the Central Bureau of Anticriminal Action arrested Piesiewicz, who is suspected of corruption. The news was confirmed by Poland's Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, Waldemar Jurcewicz, via a post on X. Zondacrypto, which has since gone bankrupt, had served as a sponsor for the Polish Olympic Committee during Piesiewicz's presidency.

Simultaneously, Polish authorities are scrutinizing the company's connections with several politicians linked to the former ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS). According to Polish media reports, the Olympic Committee president allegedly received a watch valued at approximately $47,000 as a gift from an individual associated with the cryptocurrency platform. Further reports suggest Piesiewicz may have attempted to lobby former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the head of the competition authority on behalf of the businessman.

Piesiewicz, however, denies the allegations. He maintains that the watch in question was not an illicit gift, asserting that he purchased it himself and paid for it out of his own pocket.