Warsaw. Cryptocurrency mine at the headquarters of the Supreme Administrative Court. Penalty for the company providing services and a lawsuit

The NSA's reaction is the result of information about high-power computing devices discovered at the courthouse used in cryptocurrency trading, which we wrote about first on tvnwarszawa.pl in November. After a few months, the Supreme Administrative Court explains what actions were taken against the external company responsible for the technical service of the court building.

As Judge Iwona Bogucka, deputy head of the judicial information department of the Supreme Administrative Court, told us in a letter, the court acted in consultation with the General Prosecutor's Office and carried out “necessary procedures” with “a business entity providing services in the field of technical maintenance of court buildings in connection with improper performance of the contract.” We learn from the letter that the contract has been terminated with immediate effect.

The judge pointed out that the Supreme Administrative Court had charged the penalty resulting from the contract and “exercised its rights under the guarantee of proper performance of the contract.” “These activities allowed the Supreme Administrative Court to obtain an amount of nearly PLN 900,000, which constitutes over 82 percent of the amount of damage estimated by the Court,” said Judge Bogucka.

She also announced a lawsuit in this matter. “Further activities are being carried out related to filing a lawsuit necessary to fully protect the interests of the State Treasury,” she said.

Let us remind you: computers called “excavators” installed in an inaccessible place were noticed at the turn of August and September. Several devices were located in the ventilation duct on the top floor of the building, and components were also discovered in the technical floor in another part of the court – near the power supply devices.

As we found out then, the unusual computers, characterized by high electricity consumption and computing power, were noticed by a court technical employee. Our information also showed that a few weeks after the incident, the court authorities terminated the contract with the company responsible for the technical service of the building.

The discovery of cryptocurrency miners in the court building was confirmed in a letter sent to our editorial office by Judge Sylwester Marciniak, chairman of the Judicial Information Department of the Supreme Administrative Court.

“Police officers were notified by the Supreme Administrative Court about the installation of devices among the court's technical infrastructure and took appropriate actions in the case, including dismantling and securing the disclosed electronic equipment,” Marciniak said. He also assured that “the event did not result in a threat to the security of data stored in the Supreme Administrative Court.”

The case was investigated by the Internal Security Agency and the prosecutor's office. – The proceedings were initiated pursuant to Art. 278 pairs 5 of the Penal Code, i.e. regarding the theft of electricity. The proceedings are ongoing, which means that no charges have been brought against anyone, said prosecutor Szymon Banna, spokesman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, in November.