French Prosecutors Reveal 12 Criminal Charges Against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

Highlights:

• Paris court reveals criminal charges against Telegram CEO, including child pornography and fraud.
• Durov faces charges for providing unauthorized cryptology tools on Telegram.
• Toncoin (TON) loses $2.7 billion in market value and falls out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies.

The reasons for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest have become clearer following a statement from the Paris Judicial Court (Tribunal Judiciaire De Paris) on Monday, revealing 12 potential charges against him. Some of the “complicity” charges include distributing child pornography, drug trafficking, and involvement in organized fraud and money laundering. Durov also faces three charges for providing Telegram users with access to cryptology tools and services without the necessary government authorization.

The Paris prosecutor's office said the charges against Pavel Durov include a large number of "complicities", covering fraud, underage pornographic images, narcotic, money laundering, etc.; refusing government requests to intercept information and documents; providing cryptology…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) August 27, 2024

Prosecutors stated that due to the nature of these charges, Durov will remain in custody until August 28. The list of charges from the Paris prosecutors’ office is part of a judicial investigation that began on July 8 following a preliminary probe.

The statement reads:

“This measure comes in the context of a judicial investigation opened the 8th of July 2024, following a preliminary inquiry initiated by Section J3 – JUNALCO (Fight against Cybercrime) of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

On August 24, the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA) detained Durov at Le Bourget airport around 8 PM as he disembarked from his private jet. He arrived with a woman and a bodyguard after traveling from Azerbaijan. The Office of the French National Judicial Police Directorate (OFMIN) reportedly issued a search warrant that prompted Durov’s arrest. The Russian Embassy in France swiftly issued a statement alleging that French authorities refused to respond to their attempts to contact Durov.

French President Says Arrest of Telegram CEO Was ‘in no way a Political Decision’

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” but part of an ongoing judicial investigation. In a Monday post on X, Macron stated that France is “deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship.” 

He emphasized that in a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are maintained within a legal framework, both online and offline, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. Elon Musk responded to Macron today, saying, “It would be helpful to the global public to understand more details about why he was arrested.”

It would be helpful to the global public to understand more details about why he was arrested

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2024

TON Drops After Durov’s Arrest in Paris

Following Durov’s arrest, the price of Toncoin (TON), associated with a blockchain project linked to Telegram, plunged. The coin has been down 21.11% over the past week and is trading at $5.39. 

Telegram is a popular messaging and social media app, similar to WhatsApp. With nearly 1 billion users, the encrypted platform holds significant influence in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet republics. Initially, reports suggested his arrest might be related to Telegram’s content moderation practices. However, the absence of official charges led to widespread speculation in the industry. 

Notable figures in the crypto world have voiced their support for Durov. This includes Elon Musk, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, TRON founder Justin Sun, and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.

I've criticized Telegram before for not being serious with encryption.

But (given the info available so far: the charge seems to be just being "unmoderated" and not giving up people's data), this looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) August 25, 2024