Wojciech Zabinski, the Polish businessman, offered a dream getaway for the people of Poland in his Pili Pili hotel in Zanzibar during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Takeaways
- Wojciech Zabinski scammed Polish investors with a hotel scheme in Zanzibar, defrauding around 254 people of about 7 million PLN.
- Zabinski had a criminal history in Poland and owed $500,000 to the Tanzanian government, complicating extradition efforts.
- The scam involved others, including Zabinski’s brother and partner, while some of the hotels are now operated by Tanzania’s government.
However, back then, not many people knew that he was scamming many of them.
Max has released a docu-series named King of Zanzibar to be the voice of such innocent people.
Prior to opening up a hotel in Zanzibar, Zabinski claimed to have worked in banks for many years.
His extensive work included his position as director at PEKAO SA and BNP Paribas.
However, as the story goes, he wanted to change the climate, so he started living on the small African island of Zanzibar.
This heroic story lured many innocent people from Poland. In addition, when Polish celebrities started promoting the island, the business started growing like wildfire.
In addition to that, due to growing business, many investors started investing in Zabinski’s idea with the hope of making a quick profit.
All seemed to work well, but where did it go wrong?
What Went Wrong With Wojciech Zabinski?
Zabinski’s business, which he started in 2017, was growing rapidly. He had even promised some individuals that he would buy them residential properties in Zanzibar.
However, by the end of 2021, people started noticing problems with the business, as Pili Pili’s employees stopped working because they had not received salaries for months.
Then, in February 2022, the investors and customers lost contact with Zabinski.
In addition, they learned that Zabinski was, in fact, a felony in Poland.
The self-proclaimed King of Zanzibar was sentenced to 2 years and 2 months of prison for economic fraud in Poland.
Furthermore, the Polish authorities were trying their best to bring him back to Poland, but they were failing to do so.
The reason for their failure was he had problems in Tanzania as well.
As it turns out, Zabinski owed the Tanzanian government around $500,000 when filing for bankruptcy.
The Tanzanian government isn’t willing to let Zabinski go until he pays all of his remaining taxes.
The exact number of people who were scammed was around 254 people, and the total loss is expected to be around PLN 7 million.
In addition, as per the rumors, more investors lost their money. However, since they did not explain how they earned that money, they decided not to seek justice.
However, Wojciech isn’t the only person who orchestrated this whole scam. He also had support from his brother Dominik Zabinsku, and his partner Katarzyna Zmarzlik also helped him during the process.
If brought in front of the law, they might have to face around 5 years in prison.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- The infamous Pili Pili hotel is still being operated, and Wojciech Zabinski roams freely in Zanzibar.
- Two of his hotels are now being operated by the Tanzanian government.
