Telegram founder arrested in France: What is he accused of?

Pavel Durov, from his private jet to pretrial detention

Authorities of France They arrested Pavel Durov, Founder and CEO of encrypted messaging company Telegramas he got off his private jet in the Le Bourget Airporttoday Saturday around 8 pm (local time).

Durov, Franco-Russian The 39-year-old was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman, the television channel reported. TF1.

Telegram founder and CEO flew from Azerbaijana country surrounded by the Caspian Sea, Le Bourget Airportlocated about 12 kilometers from Paris, France.

What is Pavel Durov accused of?

He was arrested as he was getting off his plane. The arrest warrant is for Durov’s “lack of cooperation with French justice” by not identifying or censoring Telegram users, and he is accused of being an “accomplice” to various crimes.

Specifically, they accuse him of being an accomplice to drug trafficking, crimes against minors and fraud, due to the lack of moderation and cooperation regarding the tools offered by Telegram.

Pavel Durov

“Pavel Durov will end in pretrial detention“That’s for sure,” said a TF1 investigator.

“On his platform, he allowed countless crimes and misdeeds to be committed that he did nothing to moderate or cooperate with,” said a source close to the matter.

Durov had a habit of travelling to the Emirates, countries of the former USSR, South America… He travelled very little in Europe and avoided countries where Telegram is under surveillance, TF1 reported, according to a report by El Universal.

Tomorrow he will be brought before a judge.

Investigators have taken him into police custody. He is due to appear before an investigating judge on Saturday evening ahead of a possible charge on Sunday for a host of offences: terrorism, drugs, complicity, fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen goods, child offending, etc.

“Over the years, it has become the number one platform for organised crime,” one investigator told a French television channel.

Plan ready in case of an arrest

According to the account in X of DD Geopolitics Españolon geopolitical issues, “people close to Pavel Durov report that Telegram has an approved plan of action in case of his arrest.

“It is not known exactly what this plan entails, but it is clear that the company will be able to continue to exist and carry out its functions for the time being,” he added.

🇫🇷 People close to Pavel Durov report that Telegram has an approved action plan in case of his arrest.

It is not known exactly what this plan entails, but it is clear that the company will be able to continue to exist and carry out its functions for the time being. https://t.co/V0bX5RTNso

— DD Geopolitics Español (@DDGeopoliticsES) August 24, 2024

In addition, DD Geopolitics Español claims that Pavel Durov was put on the wanted list literally minutes before landing in Paris and an arrest warrant was issued.

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