Telegram CEO Pavel Durov released from French custody and will appear in court: report
Quick Take
- Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been released from French police authority.
- He now faces his first court appearance and potential indictment, according to a report.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been released from French police authority and will appear in court, where he faces a potential indictment, according to AP News.
The move comes after Durov was arrested in France on Aug. 24 related to Durov providing cryptography tools and services — i.e., Telegram — to criminals for money laundering, child pornography and drug trafficking amid a broader cybercrime investigation.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that between 2017 and 2018, Durov not only purportedly met with French President Emmanuel Macron to move Telegram to France and grant Durov French citizenship but that French spies allegedly collaborated with the United Arab Emirates to hack Durov's phone.
Earlier on Wednesday, Telegram's blockchain platform The Open Network (TON) was down for about six hours but has since reinstated block production. Its native token, Toncoin, traded at $5.53 after experiencing a 1.25% increase in the past 24 hours, according to The Block's price page.
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