Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has been charged and placed under judicial supervision in France. He is now prohibited from leaving the country and must post bail of €5 million. Additionally, he is required to report to the police twice a week, according to AFP, citing the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Durov faces six charges, including administering an online platform for illegal transactions, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Other charges include refusal to cooperate with authorities, providing illegal cryptographic services, and complicity in the illegal drug trade, fraud, and distribution of child pornography.
The 39-year-old was detained on August 24 at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, where he arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan. His arrest is part of an investigation involving unidentified individuals linked to 12 criminal charges. The deadline for his detention without charge was set to expire on Wednesday.
French law enforcement officials report that Telegram has been implicated in numerous cases involving various crimes, including child sexual abuse and human trafficking. Authorities have repeatedly approached the platform’s administration with legal requests for cooperation but received little to no response. Consequently, a criminal case was initiated.
According to Politico, an arrest warrant was issued not only for Pavel Durov but also for his brother Nikolai in March 2024. This followed Telegram’s failure to respond to a court request for user data as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse cases. The warrant, however, does not indicate that the Durov brothers were personally involved in any illegal activities.
In a statement released by Telegram after Durov’s detention, the platform asserted that it complies with EU laws and that its moderation “meets industry standards and is constantly improving.” The company also described attempts to hold the businessman accountable for the misuse of the messaging service by its users as absurd.
