A French judge indicted Telegram founder Pavel Durov and released him under court supervision

The French justice system charged Telegram’s founder on Wednesday. Pavel DurovA native of Russia, with a series of charges related to organized crime, but he was released under judicial control and banned from leaving the country.

The 39-year-old billionaire was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, accused of failing to act against the spread of criminal content on his encrypted news service.

Investigating judges indicted him.Being complicit in the management of an online platform that facilitates an illegal transaction in an organized group”, punishable with imprisonment up to 10 years.

Other crimes charged include refusing to cooperate with authorities in interceptions authorized by law and laundering organized gang crimes.

Magistrates are also investigating him “Complicit” in distributing child pornography, Drug trafficking, Organized gang fraud And Association of criminals to commit crimesamong others.

The company has already assured after the arrest that Telegram “complies with the laws of the European Union” and that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for irregularities”.

Telegram, which has 900 million users and has positioned itself as an alternative to US messaging platforms, has been criticized for commercial exploitation of users’ personal data.

The Encrypted messagingMaintaining secrecy plays a central role in the context of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, and is actively used by politicians and observers on both sides.

But its detractors accuse Telegram of frequently hosting illegal content, from extreme sexual images to misinformation, including drug-buying services.

A French judge opened a trial on July 8 for complicity in organized crime on the platform, and in 2013 issued an arrest warrant against his brother Nikolai, a co-founder of Telegram.

A source close to the case indicated that France decided this Wednesday to open another trial against Pavel Duro for “serious violence” against one of his children born in 2017 due to the events in Paris.

Durov, who settled in Dubai in recent years and also holds a French passport, arrived in Paris from Baku and planned to have dinner in the French capital, according to sources close to the case.

Russian President Vladimir PutinHe was also in Azerbaijan’s capital on August 18 and 19, but a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry PeskovBoth denied that they had met.

Moscow declared the charges “very serious” on Tuesday and warned France not to try to “intimidate” Dureau, despite being the French president. Emmanuel MacronHe denied that his arrest was “political”.

Durov, whose fortune is journalism Forbes Estimated at 15.5 billion dollars, also received the support of the President Social network, Elon Muskand an American whistleblower living in Russia Edward Snowden.

According to Telegram, its founder also has a nationality United Arab EmiratesThe company has its headquarters. The country asked France for consular access to Douro.

This enigmatic figure, who rarely speaks in public, left Russia 10 years ago and proudly promotes his lifestyle, which includes ice baths and abstinence from alcohol and coffee.

In recent days, numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of his arrest, especially why he flew to Paris if an arrest warrant was pending against him.

(With information from AFP)