Pavel Durov failed to curb child pornography, drug trafficking, court rules; company refutes accusations

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been charged in France with facilitating various criminal activities on the messaging app. The court ruled that Durov failed to prevent the spread of child pornography, drug trafficking and other illegal activities on Telegram.

Prosecutors in Paris alleged in a statement that the 39-year-old CEO had failed to produce documents demanded by authorities. He was also accused of distributing images of minors in child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering, NDTV reported.

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Durov is also accused of helping gangs and organized criminal networks conduct illegal transactions through the app.

On Saturday, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris. No charges were filed against him at the time of his arrest, but now several serious allegations have been made against him.

However, he was granted bail on the condition that he not leave France and report to a police station twice a week. He was also asked to pay $5.6 million in bail.

Following Durov’s arrest, a debate over freedom of speech has erupted on social media and the internet. Telegram supporters have claimed that the arrest was an example of government censorship. However, French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed these allegations, stating that it was entirely a legal issue.

Telegram refutes accusations:

In a statement posted on Telegram on Sunday, the Dubai-based company confirmed that Durov had “nothing to hide” and that the app was operating in accordance with European regulations.

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“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform. We await a swift resolution of this situation,” the statement said.