Telegram CEO Pavel Durov appears in Paris court for first time amid criminal investigation

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Key Takeaways

Telegram’s founder faced his first court interrogation after his arrest in August.
The French justice system is investigating whether Telegram is complicit in criminal activities due to its alleged failure to address the spread of illegal content.

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging platform Telegram, appeared before a Paris judge for his first formal questioning as part of a criminal investigation into the platform’s alleged facilitation of illegal activities, a source familiar with the case told AFP.

Durov arrived at the Paris courthouse around 10 a.m. (local time) with attorneys David-Olivier Kaminski and Christophe Ingrain. He told reporters he “trusted the French justice system” but provided no additional comments about the legal proceedings.

The Telegram founder was arrested in August at Paris’ Le Bourget airport and held for four days before being charged with offenses linked to organized crime. Prosecutors allege he failed to implement adequate measures to prevent criminal activities and illegal content distribution on Telegram.

Following his release, authorities imposed strict judicial supervision, including a €5 million bail, twice-weekly police station check-ins, and restrictions on leaving France.

Attorney Kaminski called it “totally absurd” to say Durov was “involved” in crimes committed via Telegram.

“Telegram complies in all respects with European rules concerning digital technology,” Kaminski said in an August statement.

Impact of legal proceedings

A source close to the investigation told AFP that the legal action has prompted increased cooperation from Telegram with judicial requests both in France and elsewhere.

Following Durov’s arrest in France, Telegram said it would start sharing user data with authorities as part of a broad effort to curb illegal activities. The decision sparked lots of discussion due to the platform’s recognition of its commitment to privacy and encrypted messaging.

Indeed, Telegram has shared IP addresses, phone numbers with authorities for criminal investigations since 2018, Durov said in his first remarks post-arrest. He asserted that the updated policy did not introduce major changes.

The 40-year-old billionaire, holding French, Russian and Emirati citizenship, also addressed his arrest, saying that he was surprised at being held accountable for user-published content. He described the French approach as ill-advised.

However, Durov acknowledged that Telegram’s rapid growth had made it easier for criminals to misuse the platform.

Toncoin (TON), a crypto asset closely tied to Telegram and Durov, crashed by 30% shortly after Durov’s arrest. Despite the initial downturn, TON has begun to recover, currently trading close to $7, per CoinGecko data.

Kremlin’s warning

Russian officials view the legal actions against Durov as politically motivated rather than purely judicial.

In late August, Moscow made its first response to Durov’s arrest. The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, warned France against what they perceived as an attempt to “intimidate” Durov.

Peskov stressed that the nature of the accusations against Durov required equally strong evidence.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Durov’s arrest was not a political decision but part of a judicial investigation. He reiterated France’s commitment to freedom of expression and communication.