Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging platform Telegram, was indicted in France on Wednesday on suspicion of facilitating a range of crimes from drug trafficking to distributing child sexual abuse material. Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris while traveling on a private jet and had been under questioning by French authorities for the past five days.
A press release issued by French prosecutors on Wednesday, according to an English translation, listed offences such as “distribution of images of minors of a pedophilic pornographic nature” as well as “organised fraud” and “colluding with criminals to commit crimes or illegal acts”.
European authorities also allege that social media company Telegram failed to communicate properly with police when it was alerted to illegal content, describing it as “refusing to provide, upon request by competent authorities, information and documents necessary for the execution and operation of legally authorized interceptions.”
Durov, 39, founded Telegram in Russia in 2013 but moved to the UAE in 2014. He holds citizenship of France, the UAE and the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, according to the Associated Press.
Telegram responded to reports of possible charges against Durov early Wednesday, saying it was “absurd” for the founder to be held responsible for the actions of others on the platform.
“It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owners are responsible for the misuse of its platform,” Telegram wrote. “Nearly one billion users around the world use Telegram as a means of communication and an important source of information. We await a swift resolution to this situation. Telegram stands with you.”
Durov has reportedly paid 5 million euros (about $5.5 million) in bail, according to The New York Times, and is required to report to a local police station twice a week. He is barred from leaving France and faces 10 years in prison if convicted.
According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, the case in France is being investigated by the cybercrime unit of France’s JUNALCO (the Paris prosecutor’s office’s national judicial office fighting organized crime), under the special attention of OFMIN (National Office for Minors).
Durov’s fate is attracting attention within the tech community as it marks the first time that the head of a major social media network has been held personally responsible for the content on his platform.
