Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged in Paris

Musk better not plan a visit

Billionaire Pavel Durov, 39, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, has been charged with multiple charges after appearing in a Paris court.

Durov is accused of complicity in the management of an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions by an organized gang. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of €500,000.

He has also been charged with refusing to communicate when requested by authorities; complicity in criminal acts, including making available without legitimate reason a program or data intended to attack an automated data processing system; distributing by organized gangs images of minors resembling child pornography; drug trafficking; fraud by organized gangs; criminal conspiracy to commit crimes or offenses; money laundering of crimes or offenses by organized gangs; and providing cryptology services aimed at ensuring confidentiality functions without having to provide a declaration.

Durov has been placed under judicial supervision and must pay a bail of 5 million euros. He must report to the police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave France.

The charges follow Durov’s release from court on Wednesday after his pre-trial detention was extended on Monday.

The preliminary investigation began in February 2024 under the leadership of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office. The initial investigations were coordinated by OFMIN.

On July 8, 2024, a judicial investigation was opened with an introductory summons. The investigating judges entrusted the continuation of the investigation to the C3N (cyber unit of the National Gendarmerie) and the ONAF (National Anti-Fraud Office).

According to a press release, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office stated: “Telegram is an instant messaging application created in 2013 that has appeared in several cases relating to various crimes (child pornography, human trafficking, online hate).

Telegram’s almost total lack of response to legal requests was brought to the attention of the Cybercrime Unit (J3) of JUNALCO (National Judiciary for the Fight against Organized Crime, within the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office), in particular by OFMIN (National Office for Minors).

Other French investigation services and prosecutors, as well as several partners within Eurojust, notably Belgian ones, shared the same observation. This is what led JUNALCO to investigate the possible criminal liability of the operators of this messaging service in committing these crimes.”

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation.

In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on social media platform X that his country is “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but that “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”

Macron condemned what he called false information and said the arrest “is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to judge this.”

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who previously called himself a “freedom of speech absolutist,” posted “#freePavel” to support Durov after the arrest, provided people agreed with him.

However, he may be in the same boat and the British government has even ordered him to stop encouraging far-right criminals to spark a ‘civil war’ in the country.

Western governments have often criticized Telegram for its lack of content moderation, which experts say could allow the messaging platform to be used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing material related to the sexual exploitation of minors.

In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it complies with EU law and that its moderation “falls within industry standards and is continuously improving.”

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the Telegram post read.

“Almost a billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of essential information. We are waiting for a quick resolution of this situation. Telegram is with all of you.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russian diplomats were doing everything necessary in relation to the case against Durov. She went on to call on international organizations to condemn the actions of French authorities against Durov.

However, it could be a concern that Durov would hand over the encryption keys to his software to the French. The Russian military relied on Telegram for its battlefield communications during the war in Ukraine.

According to one blogger, it’s as if they arrested a Russian general and put him on trial.