Telegram founder Pavel Durov under formal investigation in France

RFI

28 August 2024 at 12:18 pm·1-min read

A French judge has put put Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under formal investigation into charges that he was complicit in organised crime committed using the messaging app. He was released on bail after four days of police custody.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement Wednesday that the judge found there were grounds to formally investigate Durov on all the charges for which he was initially arrested for questioning.

The charges include suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as the refusal to communicate information to authorities, money laundering and providing cryptographic services to criminals.

Durov, a French citizen born in Russia, was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport near Paris as part of a judicial inquiry involving 12 alleged criminal violations.

His arrest has sparked outrage in Russia, where government officials have called it politically motivated and evidence of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech.

This reaction has surprised some, as Russian authorities themselves tried to block Telegram in 2018, eventually lifting the ban in 2020.

Reaction from Iran

In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite being officially banned, Durov’s arrest prompted comments from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Durov's arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation.

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Reaction from Iran

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