Telegram Boss Freed From Custody Ahead of French Court Appearance

Pavel Durov was detained in France on Saturday and released on Wednesday after questioning over alleged platform misuse for illegal activities.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov delivers a speech in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 23, 2016.

Telegram boss Pavel Durov was released from custody on Wednesday ahead of his French court appearance, after four days of questioning over allegations that the platform is being used for illegal activities.

Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire who co-founded the app with his brother Nikolai, was arrested at Paris–Le Bourget Airport after his private jet arrived from Azerbaijan on Saturday night.

The Paris prosecutor’s office told The Epoch Times by email: “An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment.”

Telegram is an app that allows for one-on-one conversations, group chats, and “channels” that can involve hundreds of people. Unlike Meta’s WhatsApp, which has a group chat limit of 1,024, Telegram’s group chats allow up to 200,000 people.

Judicial Investigation

Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor who authorized Durov’s arrest, published a statement in French on Aug. 26 that listed the 12 charges that her judicial investigation had opened “against an unnamed person.”

Some of the charges include complicity in operating a platform for illegal transactions, refusal to provide information to authorities, involvement in child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering by an organized gang.

The judicial system in France operates differently from those in many other countries, and judges play a more active role in investigating and prosecuting crimes.

Telegram says it follows all European Union laws and that its content moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”

On Aug. 26, Telegram posted a statement saying Durov “has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”

‘I Don’t See How Tech Founders Could Possibly Travel to France’

French President Emmanuel Macron said in an Aug. 26 post on social media platform X that France is “deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship” and will remain so.

“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”

The arrest has sparked concern from some tech companies.

Andy Yen, founder and CEO of Proton, known for its encrypted email service Proton Mail, wrote on X that the “unsealed charges against Durov are insane.”

“If sustained, I don’t see how tech founders could possibly travel to France, much less hire in France. This is economic suicide and is rapidly and permanently changing the perception of founders and investors,” he wrote.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/telegram-boss-freed-from-custody-ahead-of-french-court-appearance-5714340?ea_src=ca-frontpage&&ea_med=top-news-top-stories-1-title-3