Telegram CEO Durov indicted in France, must remain in the country under supervision

Quick Take

  • Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was indicted by a French court.
  • The messaging app’s founder must remain in France under “judicial supervision.”

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was indicted by a French court on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg. 

Durov has been indicted on charges of "complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes such as drug trafficking on the messaging app," the report said.

French authorities said Durov has been released but placed under "judicial supervision," which requires the Telegram founder to remain in France, according to Reuters. Durov also has to pay a 5 million euro deposit, the news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Durov was released from French police and then sent to appear in court. The initial arrest came as a result of a sweeping cybercrime investigation that includes allegations of Telegram providing cryptography tools and services that facilitated money laundering, child pornography and drug trafficking. 

Since his arrest, figures popular in the world of crypto, TON developers and TON Society, an organization that promotes the TON blockchain, have all voiced their support for Durov's release.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Durov’s arrest was part of an ongoing judicial investigation and was “in no way a political decision."


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About Author

RT Watson is a senior reporter at The Block who covers a wide array of topics including U.S.-based companies, blockchain gaming and NFTs. Formerly covered entertainment at The Wall Street Journal, where he wrote about Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. and the creator economy while focusing primarily on technological disruption across media. Previous to that he covered corporate, economic and political news in Brazil while at Bloomberg. RT has interviewed a diverse cast of characters including CEOs, media moguls, top influencers, politicians, blue-collar workers, drug traffickers and convicted criminals. Holds a master's degree in Digital Sociology.

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