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Russian-born entrepreneur and Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been charged by French prosecutors.
This comes a few days after he was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris for allegedly enabling criminal activities on the app.
Durov, who also holds French and UAE citizenship, was detained for four days but has been granted bail of $5.56 million by the Paris prosecutor, under the condition that he reports to a police station twice a week and remains in France, CNN reports.
French authorities opened a judicial investigation on July 8, 2024, primarily driven by concerns over Telegram’s lax moderation policies, which resulted in Durov’s arrest last Saturday. Some of the charges against Durov include complicity in allowing child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud on his messaging app, and failing to cooperate with investigators by not providing necessary information or documents when legally required.
In response to the charges, Telegram released a statement on X asserting its compliance with EU laws and stating that its moderation practices follow industry standards. The company also stated that it is “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.”
The case has drawn international attention, with Russia’s Kremlin spokesperson Peskov stating Tuesday that the government is willing to aid Pavel Durov, given his Russian roots. However, Durov’s French citizenship complicates matters.
This is not the first time Telegram and its CEO have faced legal scrutiny. In 2018, Russian authorities attempted to ban Telegram for refusing to provide encryption keys to the Federal Security Service (FSB). The platform has also faced criticism and legal challenges in the United States for its alleged role in facilitating extremist activities and the spread of misinformation.
The current charges against Durov in France represent an escalation of these ongoing concerns and have now culminated in the French prosecution’s case, raising questions about the future of Telegram.
