As part of an investigation into money laundering, drug trafficking, child pornography, and non-cooperation with law enforcement about crimes, the leader of a well-known social media and messaging platform was taken into custody on Saturday.Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was charged on Wednesday evening in a French court, just days after his arrest at an airport near Paris. According to a press release published late Wednesday by French authorities, Durov is accused of beig involved in managing an online platform that allows illegal transactions, refusing to comply with police requests for documents or other communications in ongoing investigations, involvement in the distribution of child exploitation material, and several other charges.
He is also accused of providing encryption services in Telegram without embedding control mechanisms.
“The near-complete lack of response from Telegram to judicial demands was brought to the attention of the cybercrime section of JUNALCO (J3) within the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, especially by OFMIN (National Office for Minors),” the release said when translated from French. “
When consulted, other French investigative services and public prosecutors, as well as various partners within Eurojust, particularly those from Belgium, shared the same observations. This is why JUNALCO initiated an investigation into the possible criminal liability of the managers of this messaging service for the commission of these crimes.”
The release stated that the investigation began in February 2024, and initial charges were filed on July 8th.
French police said that they released him from custody before his court appearance, which caused some confusion—and a brief surge in the price of TON cryptocurrency linked to Telegram—leading people to believe he had been fully released. In reality, he was simply on his way to court.
The press release on Wednesday evening stated that he would have to pay a deposit of 5 million euros, report to a French police station at least twice a week, and was barred from leaving the country.
“The investigating judge has released Pavel Durov from custody and has brought him to court for initial questioning and possible charges,” a spokeswoman said in a statement earlier in the day.
Telegram said in a statement released following Durov’s detention that it “complies with [European Union] laws” and that its actions were compliant with industry norms.
Telegram stated in its statement that “it is ridiculous to claim that the platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of the platform.”