Following his summer detention in France, Telegram’s CEO faces multiple charges.
Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, underwent his first formal questioning in a Paris court regarding the charges against him, over three months after his arrest, according to AFP, citing an anonymous source.
Prior court proceedings focused on procedural matters concerning his detention. The charges against Durov stem from alleged Telegram involvement in various criminal activities.
Durov, accompanied by lawyers David-Olivier Kaminski and Christophe Ingrain, reportedly expressed confidence in the French justice system but declined further comment on the case or charges.
The Russian national, also a citizen of France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, was apprehended upon arrival in Paris on August 24th. He was charged with multiple offenses, including complicity in distributing child pornography, and facilitating drug trafficking and money laundering. These charges arise from allegations that Telegram’s lenient moderation policies enable widespread misuse of the platform.
Released on bail of €5 million ($5.5 million), Durov remains in France pending the case’s conclusion. Some charges carry potential sentences of up to ten years.
Durov has strongly denied these accusations. In October, he stated Telegram had adhered to data privacy regulations in multiple countries and had shared information about criminals with authorities for six years.
One of Durov’s lawyers, as quoted by the French news agency, deemed it “absurd” to implicate his client in crimes committed via the platform. An anonymous source connected to the investigation told AFP that the legal process has positively impacted Telegram’s responsiveness to legal requests in France and elsewhere.
Commenting on Durov’s detention in August, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov highlighted the illogicality of holding the entrepreneur accountable for crimes committed using his network. Peskov suggested Paris could similarly charge Renault or Citroën CEOs, given terrorists’ use of vehicles.