Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was charged by two French judges on Wednesday evening for failing to tackle criminal content on the messaging app; as a result he faces strict court measures requiring him to remain in France, potentially fuelling worldwide outrage.
Accompanied by his bodyguard and assistant, the 39-year-old billionaire founder from Russia was apprehended on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport in Paris, following a French search warrant, before being held in custody.
Mr Durov had just arrived from Baku and was planning to spend the evening in Paris, where he intended to dine.
Sources close to the matter confirmed to Politico that Durov and his brother Nikolai, who co-founded Telegram in 2013, were targets of French search warrants since March in relation to an ongoing investigation by France’s Centre for Counteracting Digital Criminalities (C3N) and the National Antifraud Office, ONAF.
Durov was held in custody at the ONAF from Saturday to Wednesday afternoon.
According to a statement from Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, he was presented to two instructing judges, who, after several hours of questioning, charged him with numerous offences: refusal to share information necessary for lawfully authorised interceptions, complicity with crimes and misdemeanours organised through the platform, and unregistered provision of cryptography services aimed at ensuring privacy functions.
Following his release, he is subject to heavy judicial control: he has to post a €5-million bond, report to the police station twice a week, and is prohibited from leaving France, according to Ms. Beccuau’s statement.
His lawyer did not comment when asked.
