French Prosecutors Unveil Possible Charges Against Durov
The founder of Telegram is confronted with multiple charges, such as facilitating drug trafficking and money laundering. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Authorities in Paris claim that Telegram has enabled cybercriminals and drug traffickers to operate without consequences.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office has outlined a dozen potential charges against Telegram's founder and CEO, Pavel Durov. These charges include complicity in drug trafficking, money laundering, and facilitating the distribution of child pornography.
Durov, 39, a Russian national who also holds citizenship in France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was taken into custody by French authorities on Saturday upon his arrival in Paris from Azerbaijan via private jet.
In a press release issued on Monday, prosecutor Laure Beccuau indicated that Durov’s arrest was part of a broader criminal investigation concerning an “unnamed person.” This inquiry is considering 12 charges against Durov, including facilitating drug distribution, money laundering, organized crime involvement, and aiding in the distribution of child pornography.
According to Beccuau, Durov is also under investigation for not cooperating with investigations into cybercrime and financial crime.
Criminal investigations in France are conducted by specialized magistrates, and the charges against Durov are typically announced even before all evidence has been collected. Such investigations can take years, and charges may be dropped if there is insufficient evidence of a crime.
This investigation, which commenced last month, is being carried out by France’s anti-cybercrime and anti-fraud offices, as mentioned in the press release.
In a statement on Sunday, Telegram labeled the assertion that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform as “absurd.” The company emphasized that it complies with local laws, including the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and relevant sanctions against Russia.
With nearly a billion monthly users, Telegram generally resists requests to provide user data or chat records to law enforcement. Durov has previously stated that prioritizing user privacy has made him a target for intelligence agencies worldwide, alleging in an April interview that the FBI tried to recruit one of his employees to create a backdoor in the app for surveillance purposes.
Anti-censorship activists have described Durov’s arrest as part of a larger campaign against free speech led by Western governments. Notable figures, including NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, have accused France of taking Durov “hostage” to access private communications on Telegram. High-profile individuals like X owner Elon Musk, journalist Tucker Carlson, and investor David Sacks have also condemned Durov’s arrest as an assault on free speech.
In a social media post on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that Durov’s arrest “is in no way a political decision,” emphasizing that it is part of “an ongoing judicial investigation.” He added, “France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office has outlined a dozen potential charges against Telegram's founder and CEO, Pavel Durov. These charges include complicity in drug trafficking, money laundering, and facilitating the distribution of child pornography.
Durov, 39, a Russian national who also holds citizenship in France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was taken into custody by French authorities on Saturday upon his arrival in Paris from Azerbaijan via private jet.
In a press release issued on Monday, prosecutor Laure Beccuau indicated that Durov’s arrest was part of a broader criminal investigation concerning an “unnamed person.” This inquiry is considering 12 charges against Durov, including facilitating drug distribution, money laundering, organized crime involvement, and aiding in the distribution of child pornography.
According to Beccuau, Durov is also under investigation for not cooperating with investigations into cybercrime and financial crime.
Criminal investigations in France are conducted by specialized magistrates, and the charges against Durov are typically announced even before all evidence has been collected. Such investigations can take years, and charges may be dropped if there is insufficient evidence of a crime.
This investigation, which commenced last month, is being carried out by France’s anti-cybercrime and anti-fraud offices, as mentioned in the press release.
In a statement on Sunday, Telegram labeled the assertion that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform as “absurd.” The company emphasized that it complies with local laws, including the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and relevant sanctions against Russia.
With nearly a billion monthly users, Telegram generally resists requests to provide user data or chat records to law enforcement. Durov has previously stated that prioritizing user privacy has made him a target for intelligence agencies worldwide, alleging in an April interview that the FBI tried to recruit one of his employees to create a backdoor in the app for surveillance purposes.
Anti-censorship activists have described Durov’s arrest as part of a larger campaign against free speech led by Western governments. Notable figures, including NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, have accused France of taking Durov “hostage” to access private communications on Telegram. High-profile individuals like X owner Elon Musk, journalist Tucker Carlson, and investor David Sacks have also condemned Durov’s arrest as an assault on free speech.
In a social media post on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that Durov’s arrest “is in no way a political decision,” emphasizing that it is part of “an ongoing judicial investigation.” He added, “France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise.”
James del Carmen contributed to this report for TROIB News
