Telegram founder Pavel Durov charged in France, released on bail

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been officially investigated as part of an investigation into organized crime on the messaging app, French prosecutors said on Wednesday. He has been released on bail but is not allowed to leave the country.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said Durov, who was arrested at Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening, faced several charges related to Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate and respond to illegal content on the platform.

Specifically, Durov is accused of complicity in organized crime, child pornography, drugs and fraud. He is also accused of forming a criminal organization, providing encryption services to criminals and refusing to communicate with the authorities.

When a case is formally charged, it means that judges believe there is enough evidence to continue the investigation, but it is no guarantee that a trial will take place. According to Reuters, investigations can take years before they go to court or are closed.

Durov was released on bail of 5 million euros ($5.6 million), ordered to report to police twice a week and banned from leaving French territory.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Telegram had been used in various criminal cases and there had been “almost no response” from the company when authorities contacted it, which led to the investigation.

“Other French investigative authorities and public prosecutors, as well as various Eurojust partners, notably Belgian ones, shared the same observation after consultation,” Beccuau said in a statement. “This prompted JUNALCO (the Agency against Organized Crime) to launch an investigation into the possible criminal liability of the operators of this messaging service in the commission of these crimes.”

Telegram, which is used by nearly a billion users around the world, says it complies with EU laws and maintains its moderation practices are in line with industry standards. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the company said in a statement on Sunday.