Pavel Durov, detained in France, faces up to 20 years in prison on a number of charges
French intelligence services detained Telegram founder Pavel Durov at Le Bourget Airport in Paris at around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, as he was exiting a private jet.
According to the French TV channel TF1, Durov, 39, was accompanied by his girlfriend and his bodyguard. He arrived in France from Azerbaijan, where he was photographed with the girl, who was presumably with him on the plane that landed at the Paris airport.
Durov is currently in custody and faces up to 20 years in prison.
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A search warrant was issued for Durov
The Telegram founder was included in the French database of criminals and wanted persons (FPR). The law enforcement officers who met him had a search warrant issued on the basis of a preliminary investigation. The document was valid only if Durov was in France.
French judicial authorities believe that Durov is an accomplice to illegal activities carried out through his messenger, such as drug trafficking, juvenile crimes and fraud, and that he has refused to cooperate with the police in these cases.
French media sources claim that Durov’s arrest will “stir up the hive, make an impression and scare off criminals who are now freely coordinating on Telegram,” and the EU authorities’ main complaint against Durov is probably the encrypted messages in the messenger.
For years now, Telegram has been the number one platform for organized crime
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Durov avoided trips to France
Durov was allegedly declared persona non grata in France. He was previously aware of his status, but his private jet was forced to land there to refuel.
Pavel Durov has had French citizenship since 2021, but avoided traveling to the European country and generally tried not to visit countries where Telegram is under surveillance. Most often, the founder of the messenger flew to the countries of the former USSR, South America and the UAE.
Investigators from the National Office for the Fight against Fraud (ONAF) have placed Pavel Durov in police custody. He is due to appear in a French court on Sunday, August 25, to face multiple charges. Potential charges include terrorism, drugs, complicity, fraud, money laundering, concealment, and paedophile content.
Against the backdrop of news of Durov’s arrest, the rate of the Toncoin (TON) cryptocurrency, which is used in Telegram, began to fall sharply and has already fallen by almost 15 percent.
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Russia calls for seeking Durov’s release
State Duma Deputy Speaker Vladislav Davankov called on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to seek Durov’s release.
According to Davankov, the detention of the founder of Telegram is political in nature and is an attempt to gain access to the personal data of the messenger’s users.
In the event of the French authorities refusing to release Pavel Durov from custody, I ask that every effort be made to move him to the territory of the UAE or the Russian Federation with his consent.
Federation Council member Andrei Klishas, commenting on Durov’s arrest, wrote that the French continue to fight for “European values” and “freedom of speech.”
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