Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged for allowing alleged criminal activity on app, and banned from leaving France

TELEGRAM CEO Pavel Durov is facing preliminary charges for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app.

French judges have issued the charges against Durov tonight and banned him from leaving France.

AP

AP

Reuters

The Russian-born CEO, who became a French citizen in 2021, was detained on Saturday outside Paris.

It comes after a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.

He was released on Wednesday after four days of questioning – but he was placed on judicial supervision and ordered to pay a €5m (£4.2m) deposit.

Durov is now under a formal investigation by French authorities and has to show up at a police station two times a week.

He is under investigation for six charges including complicity in organised criminal distribution of sexual images of children.

Another charge is the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organised gang.

That crime can lead to sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a 500,000 euro fine, the prosecutor’s office said.

A third is the refusal to share information with authorities when required by law.

Preliminary charges under French law mean magistrates have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for further investigation.

Telegram has insisted it abides by EU laws and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving”.

Its statement added: “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”

If convicted, Durov could spend decades in jail .

He was first detained upon arrival at Le Bourget airport north of Paris by investigators of France’s National Anti-Fraud Office.

It comes due to apparent failures to employ enough moderators to stop terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering from festering online.

What is Telegram?

TELEGRAM is a cloud-based instant messaging app that was launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov.

Telegram became widely known for its strong emphasis on privacy and security, offering end-to-end encrypted messaging, channels for broadcasting to large audiences, and features including self-destructing messages.

Telegram’s commitment to privacy has made it popular with users around the world, but it has also attracted criticism from governments, which claim that the app is used by criminals and terrorists to communicate without detection.

French authorities opened a preliminary investigation in February in response to the near total absence of a response by Telegram to judicial requests for data for pursuing suspects, notably those accused of crimes against children, the prosecutors’ office said.

Durov’s arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia , with some government officials branding it politically motivated.

The backlash has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because, in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.

French President Emmanuel Macron denied on Monday that Durov’s arrest was a political move but part of an independent investigation.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was “closely following the case”.

Born on October 10, 1984, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russia , Durov is often referred to as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg ” due to the similarities between VK and Facebook.

In 2006, Durov, along with his older brother Nikolai, launched VKontakte, which quickly became Russia ‘s most popular social network.

But his time at VK was not without controversy as Durov clashed with Russian authorities over demands to censor content and provide user data to the government.

In 2014, under increasing pressure, Durov was forced to sell his stake in VK and left the company.

After leaving VK, Durov focused on Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app that he and his brother Nikolai had launched in 2013.

Living in exile

By Juliana Cruz Lima

PAVEL Durov has been in self-imposed exile primarily because of his conflicts with the Russian government over issues related to censorship, privacy, and political freedom.

The main reason for Durov’s exile stems from his time as the CEO of VKontakte (VK), the social media platform he founded.

During the 2011-2012 anti-Putin protests, Russian authorities demanded that Durov hand over the personal data of protest organizers and shut down opposition groups on VK.

Durov refused to comply with these demands, which put him on a collision course with the Russian government.

In 2014, Durov was again pressured by Russian authorities, this time over his refusal to block a VK group that supported the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests and his refusal to hand over the data of Ukrainian users to the FSB (Federal Security Service).

Following these incidents, he faced legal challenges, and his control over VK was weakened.

In April 2014, Durov was forced to resign as CEO of VK, and soon after, he sold his remaining shares in the company.

This resignation and sale were likely not voluntary but a result of immense pressure from Russian authorities and possibly from business interests close to the Kremlin.

After losing control of VK, Durov decided to leave Russia, stating that the country was “incompatible with internet business at the moment.”

Since leaving Russia in 2014, Durov has lived in self-imposed exile.

He became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis through an economic citizenship program and has lived in various countries, adopting a nomadic lifestyle.

Durov continued to advocate for privacy, freedom of speech, and resistance to government surveillance—principles that are often at odds with the policies of the Russian government.

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