12 criminal charges that Telegram’s founder is facing in Paris

French authorities have published details of the charges levelled against Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov.

Durov was detained on Saturday after arriving at Paris–Le Bourget Airport on his private jet from Azerbaijan.

Durov, who is both a UAE and French citizen, has been in custody ever since.

Subsequently, French prosecutors published details surrounding the arrest of Durov along with a list of charges that are being levelled against him.

READ MORE: Telegram says its founder Pavel Durov has nothing to hide

“Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the instant messaging platform Telegram, was arrested and taken into custody on Saturday, 24 August 2024, at 8 p.m. at Le Bourget [airport],” said Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

“This action was taken as part of a judicial investigation initiated on 8 July 2024, following a preliminary inquiry conducted by Section J3 (Cybercrime Unit – JUNALCO) of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office,” said Beccuau.

In the statement, Beccuau further detailed a list of charges against Durov:

• Complicity in managing an online platform for facilitating illegal transactions by an organised group.
• Refusal to provide authorities with information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating lawful interceptions.
• Complicity in the possession of pornographic images of minors.
• Complicity in the distribution, offering, or making available of pornographic images of minors by an organised group.
• Complicity in the acquisition, transportation, possession, offering, or sale of narcotic substances.
• Complicity in offering, selling, or making available, without legitimate reason, equipment, tools, programmes, or data designed for or adapted to access and damage the operation of an automated data processing system.
• Complicity in organised fraud.
• Criminal association with the intent to commit a crime or offence punishable by at least 5 years of imprisonment.
• Money laundering of proceeds from crimes or offences committed by an organised group.
• Providing cryptographic services aimed at ensuring confidentiality without a certified declaration.
• Providing a cryptographic tool that does not exclusively ensure authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration.
• Importing a cryptographic tool that does not exclusively ensure authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration.

It’s unclear if Durov could face more charges than what is listed above.

Beccuau further said that “the investigative magistrates in charge of this judicial investigation have co-assigned the Centre for the Fight against Cybercrime (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) to continue the investigations”.

“Within this procedural framework, Pavel Durov is being questioned by investigators. His custody was extended on 25 August 2024 by an investigative magistrate and may last up to 96 hours (until 28 August 2024) due to the procedures applicable to organised crime offences, as mentioned above,” she added.

READ MORE: UAE closely following case of Telegram founder amid arrest in France