Telegram CEO charged for crimes committed with app – MyBroadband
Pavel Durov, the chief executive officer of Telegram, was charged in France for complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes such as drug trafficking on the messaging app.
The charges against Durov paint a picture of a platform almost entirely uncooperative with authorities and include allegations he refused to help agencies run legal wiretaps on suspects, Paris prosecutors said in a Wednesday statement.
He faces further accusations of enabling organized criminals to carry out unlawful transactions on the platform.
The 39-year-old was stopped at Le Bourget airport north of Paris on Saturday after disembarking from a private jet and placed in custody for police questioning for four days.
Prosecutors on Wednesday ordered Durov to post €5 million ($5.6 million) in bail and forbid him from leaving France, according to the statement.
Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that while Telegram appeared in numerous cases focusing on crimes on minors, drug trafficking or online hate, her teams noted the platform’s “near complete” lack of response to legal requests for cooperation.
A similar situation was reported by authorities in neighboring countries, including Belgium.
“That’s what led JUNALCO to open an investigation into the possible criminal responsibility of the messaging app’s executives in the commission of these offenses,” Beccuau said, referring to her unit focusing on organized crime.
Telegram didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment late Wednesday.
In a statement released on Telegram on Sunday, the Dubai-based company asserted that Durov has “nothing to hide” and that the app abides by European laws.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the statement declared.
“We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Durov’s attitude to regulation helped make Telegram into a giant but also put him at odds with governments for repeatedly ignoring requests to better moderate content on his platform.
The billionaire has styled himself as a radical libertarian and cultivates a look riffing off of Keanu Reeves’ Neo character in The Matrix.
While the pressing of charges is a key point in French probes, a criminal trial — if any is ordered — may be several months or even years away.
As the case progresses, Durov will have an opportunity to challenge investigators’ findings through his legal team.
The charges, as they stand, appear to include a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.
