Telegram mogul Pavel Durov has been accused of enabling criminal activity on his messaging app and banned from leaving France pending further investigation.
The 39-year-old billionaire was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a wide-ranging judicial investigation opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.
He was released today after four days of questioning.
The investigating judges handed down the preliminary indictment on Wednesday evening and ordered him to pay bail of 5 million euros and report to a police station twice a week.
The allegations against Durov, a Russian-born French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
Telegram mogul Pavel Durov has been accused of enabling alleged criminal activity on his messaging app and banned from leaving France.
Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial investigation opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.
Durov’s arrest in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and evidence of the West’s double standards on freedom of expression.
The protest has surprised Kremlin critics because in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed and lifted the ban in 2020.
In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite being officially banned after years of protests challenging the country’s Shiite theocracy, Durov’s arrest in France prompted comments from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered veiled praise for France’s “strict” attitude towards those who “violate its governance” of the Internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Durov’s arrest was not a political decision but part of an independent investigation.
Macron wrote on X that his country is “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but “freedoms are defended within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it complies with EU laws and that its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
Durov’s arrest (pictured) in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated.
General view of the building of the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF), in Ivry-sur-Seine, south of Paris, where Pavel Durov was detained
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform,” the Telegram post said.
‘Nearly one billion users around the world rely on Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information. We are looking forward to a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram stands with you all.’
In addition to Russia and France, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was “closely monitoring the case” and had asked France to provide Durov with “all necessary consular services on an urgent basis.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped Durov “will be given all necessary opportunities for his legal defense,” adding that Moscow is “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen.
“But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France,” Peskov said.
Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother in 2013 after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities.
Since then, it has amassed more than 950 million users, making it one of the largest social media platforms in the world after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social network he launched in 2006.
A very different-looking Durov at 20. He created VK, dubbed the “Facebook of Russia,” when he left university at 21.
The company came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown following massive pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.
Durov had said authorities demanded the site remove online communities of Russian opposition activists, and then hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine that eventually toppled a pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he had rejected these demands and left the country.
The protests prompted Russian authorities to clamp down in the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram also remains a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information about the war and send alerts about missiles and airstrikes.
Western governments have often criticised Telegram for its lack of content moderation, which experts say exposes the messaging app to potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and the sharing of material linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.
In 2022, Germany imposed $5 million in fines on Telegram operators for failing to establish a legal way to report illegal content or for failing to name an entity in Germany to receive official communications. Both are mandatory under German laws regulating large online platforms.