Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Set to Appear in French Court After Weekend Arrest

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is set to appear in a French court Wednesday following the head of the popular social-media and messaging platform’s arrest on Saturday at an airport near Paris.

He was initially held as part of an investigation into crimes allegedly planned or broadcasted on Telegram. The crimes included money laundering, drug trafficking, child pornography and non-cooperation with law enforcement.

The police said they released him from custody ahead of his court appearance, which led to some confusion – and a brief jump in the price of the TON cryptocurrency linked to Telegram – that he’d been fully freed. In reality, he was just headed to the courthouse.

“The investigating judge has released Pavel Durov from custody and has had him brought to court for initial questioning and possible indictment,” spokesperson and deputy prosecutor Maylis De Roeck said in a statement.

According to a charge sheet published by French authorities earlier this week, Durov is being charged with being complicit in the administration of an online platform allowing illicit transactions, refusing to comply with police requests for documents or other communications in ongoing investigations, being complicit in the dissemination of child exploitation material and a host of other charges.

He’s also being accused of providing encryption services without embedding controls in Telegram.

Telegram, in a statement published after Durov’s arrest, said it “abides by [European Union] laws” and its practices remain within industry norms.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram said in its statement.

Edited by Nick Baker.

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