Telegram boss Pavel Durov is prosecuted in France, is not allowed to leave the country

This article was last updated on August 29, 2024

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Telegram boss Pavel Durov is prosecuted in France, is not allowed to leave the country

Telegram founder Pavel Durov is being prosecuted in France. The French authorities reported this after Durov had to appear in court this afternoon. Durov is suspected of complicity in allowing criminal activities, including child abuse and drug trafficking, via the Telegram platform.

The Russian tech billionaire was arrested in France last Saturday after landing at an airport near Paris with his private plane from Azerbaijan. The founder and CEO of Telegram was arrested due to an ongoing investigation by the French cybercrime unit and the national fraud agency. He was interrogated and held for four days before being taken today to a judge to rule on the investigation.

Durov has paid a bail of 5 million euros and can now await the trial in freedom. He must remain in France and report to the police station twice a week.

Criminals

The investigation focuses on the chat app Telegram. The app, which is used by around 700 million people worldwide, is a paradise for criminals, according to French justice.

The French authorities believe that Telegram is not doing enough to combat criminal practices. For example, there is hardly any moderation and the company does not cooperate in criminal investigations; for example, it does not share the identity of suspects with authorities. Durov is said to have been on a French wanted list, according to the TV channel TF1.

‘Absurd’

According to the US website Politico there would also be such an arrest warrant for Durov’s brother, Nikolai. He is co-founder of Telegram and is also said to be part of the investigation. It is not clear whether French justice knows where Nikolaj is staying. The arrest warrants for Durov and his brother were said to have already been issued in March.

Telegram itself found the CEO’s arrest “absurd” and said Durov has nothing to hide. The Russian embassy also said it would take “immediate steps” after the arrest and demanded more clarity. French President Macron reported that the arrest was in any case not politically motivated.

Pavel Durov was born in Russia, but fled the country after a conflict with the state over the VK platform, a Russian version of Facebook. Durov is also the founder of that platform together with his brother and refused to close opposition channels on VK. He moved to Dubai and, according to French media, now has French and Emirati nationality in addition to Russian.