Durov released on €5 million bail

RT
Wed, 28 Aug 2024 20:19 UTC

A French court has accused the Russian billionaire of a dozen offenses, including facilitating illegal transactions

A French court has formally indicted Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of complicity in a litany of offenses and barring him from leaving France until the case against him concludes.

Durov appeared before a magistrates' court in Paris on Wednesday, four days after he was arrested upon arrival in the French capital from Azerbaijan. In a statement released on Wednesday night, the court said that Durov had been formally charged with a dozen offenses, including complicity in "administering an online platform" used by a criminal gang to conduct an illicit transaction, a charge that the court noted carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

The rest of the charges, which were announced by prosecutors on Monday, include facilitating fraud, money laundering, and the distribution of narcotics and child pornography, as well as refusal to turn over user data to law enforcement investigations.

The Russian entrepreneur, who also holds the citizenship of France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was released on a €5 million ($5.55 million) bond.

He was ordered to remain in France until the investigation against him concludes, and to report to a police station twice a week.

Criminal investigations in France are run by special magistrates - judges granted wide-ranging investigative powers. Charges like those leveled against Durov are typically announced before investigators have finished gathering evidence, and can be dropped at any time if they cannot be substantiated.

The investigation against Durov began in February, the court statement noted. This detail contradicts a statement released by prosecutors on Monday, which described the probe as beginning last month. It is being led by OFMIN, a French agency tasked with investigating crimes against minors.

Telegram, which has almost a billion monthly users, generally refuses to hand over user data or chat records to law enforcement. However, the company said on Sunday that it complies with local laws, and called it "absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

Anti-censorship activists have described Durov's arrest as part of a wider campaign against free speech waged by Western governments, with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden accusing France of taking the entrepreneur "hostage" in order to access private communications on Telegram. In a social media post on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that Durov's arrest "is in no way a political decision," and that France "is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication."

It is unclear whether Durov has been pressed to hand over user data since his arrest on Saturday. Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said on Tuesday that the billionaire would likely be coerced into giving up this data. "I really hope that he will not allow this," Naryshkin told Russia's TASS news agency.

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28 Aug, 2024 19:10
Durov under investigation for child abuse - AFP
The Telegram boss has reportedly been accused of violence against his six-year-old son

French authorities have launched an investigation into claims that Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov committed "serious acts of violence" against his own son, AFP reported on Wednesday. The investigation is separate from an ongoing probe into his alleged complicity in a wide range of crimes.

The 39-year-old Russian, who also holds the citizenship of France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, appeared before a Paris court on Wednesday. Though he has not been formally indicted in either French case a decision is expected overnight on Wednesday.

Durov could be charged with 12 criminal offenses, including facilitating narcotics distribution, money laundering, and organized crime, and aiding in the distribution of child pornography. According to Paris prosecutors, a "person unnamed" used Durov's app to commit multiple offenses. Durov's refusal to turn over the user's data to law enforcement led to him being investigated, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Shortly after Durov arrived at the court, France's AFP news agency reported that the entrepreneur was also being investigated on suspicion of "serious acts of violence" against his six-year-old son. Citing "a source close to the case," AFP claimed that the probe was recently opened by France's child welfare office.

Durov's son was born in Russia and now resides in Switzerland with his mother, Irina Bolgar. It is unclear whether the investigation is linked to a criminal complaint filed against Durov by Bolgar in Switzerland last year. According to court documents seen by Forbes magazine, Bolgar accused her ex-partner of five instances of violence against his son, before filing a child custody case.

Both cases were filed shortly after Durov allegedly stopped paying Bolgar €150,000 ($167,500) in child support per month, Forbes noted. Durov has also claimed to have fathered over 100 children in 12 countries through sperm dnoation.

In a statement on Sunday, Telegram called it "absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform." Telegram complies with local laws, including the EU's Digital Rights Act (DSA) and anti-Russian sanctions, the company added. Neither Durov nor Telegram have commented on the alleged child abuse case.

Anti-censorship activists have described Durov's arrest as part of a wider campaign against free speech waged by Western governments, with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden accusing France of taking the entrepreneur "hostage" in order to access private communications on Telegram. X Owner Elon Musk, American journalist Tucker Carlson, and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks have all condemned Durov's arrest as an attack on free speech.

28 Aug, 2024 13:06
Durov taken to French court - media
The Telegram CEO was arrested in France as part of a probe into his alleged complicity in numerous criminal activities on the platform

Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov has been transferred to a Paris courthouse, where a decision will be made on whether he will be put under formal investigation following his arrest last week, according to several news outlets.

Durov's detention period expired on Wednesday according to AFP, citing a source familiar with the matter. He has reportedly now been released from police custody and transferred to court for possible indictment. According to Reuters, the judges' decision on the matter is expected by 8pm local time (18:00 GMT).

[...]

On Wednesday, Politico reported that back in March, the French authorities had issued warrants not only for Pavel Durov, but also his brother Nikolay, who co-founded Telegram. The magazine claimed that the move stemmed from "Telegram's almost non-existent cooperation" in numerous cases, including related to child sex abuse.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that before obtaining his French passport, Pavel Durov had had lunch with President Emmanuel Macron, who invited him to move Telegram's HQ to Paris. The Russian billionaire, however, reportedly declined.
[...]

28 Aug, 2024 13:36
Macron proposed that Durov relocate Telegram to Paris - WSJ
The Telegram CEO had a face-to-face discussion with the French leader in 2018 that was not previously reported, the outlet has said

French President Emmanuel Macron had lunch with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in 2018 and proposed that he move the company's headquarters to Paris, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.

Durov declined the offer at the time, the outlet said, citing people familiar with the matter. During the meeting, which has only recently come to light, Macron reportedly discussed granting French citizenship to the Russian-born entrepreneur.

According to the article, the lunch took place a year after French and United Arab Emirate intelligence services reportedly hacked Durov's iPhone in a joint operation carried out over concerns that Telegram was being used by Islamic State to organize terrorist attacks, the report said.

"Governments have targeted Durov because of the groups that were drawn to his app, which range from pro-democracy demonstrators and dissidents to Islamist militants, drug traffickers and cybercriminals," the WSJ wrote.

One of the sources told the outlet that for years Telegram ignored subpoenas and court orders sent by law enforcement authorities, which "piled up in a rarely checked company email address."
[...]

28 Aug, 2024 14:08
France issued Durov arrest warrants in spring - media
Court papers contradict claims that the probe against the Telegram CEO and his brother was launched in July, Politico has reported

France issued arrest warrants against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolay, the co-founder of the messaging app, in March, months earlier than officials previously claimed, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Durov was taken into custody last Saturday in a surprise move, which French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed was not political. The Russian businessman has the citizenship of several nations, including France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis. He is accused of complicity in serious crimes allegedly committed with the help of Telegram and failure to cooperate with French authorities in investigating them.

The arrest warrants were issued on March 25, after Telegram gave "no answer" to a judicial request sent by French investigators earlier, French documents leaked to Politico by an insider said. The initial inquiry demanded that the privacy-focused service disclose the identity of one of its users. The documents mentioned "Telegram's almost non-existent cooperation" with authorities in other cases, the outlet said.

The new evidence contradicts claims by French officials, who previously stated that the probe against Telegram had been opened in July, the outlet noted. The warrants were requested by the cybercrime branch of the Paris prosecutor's office as part of an investigation into a child pornography case. Authorities did not allege that either Durov or his brother were directly involved in criminal activity.
[...]

He fled Russia in 2014 after law enforcement in his home country accused him of protecting terrorism suspects from being investigated by refusing to provide access to their communications. He argued that his app was purposefully designed in a way that prevents such surveillance. Telegram and the Russian government have since reconciled.

While Pavel Durov is the public face of Telegram, Nikolay is understood to be the brains behind the inner workings of several products, including the messenger app. He was also the lead designer of the social network VK and is believed to be the architect of TON, a blockchain network that Telegram intended to use for cryptocurrency payments, but abandoned in 2020 due to opposition to the project by US authorities.

28 Aug, 2024 23:27
WATCH Durov walk out of French court
The Russian tech billionaire and Telegram CEO was detained in Paris and formally indicted on multiple charges

Videos of Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov being released from French custody late Wednesday have circulated on social media.

A court in Paris formally indicted the Russian billionaire four days after he was detained at the airport, shortly after arriving in the French capital.

He faces a dozen charges, including complicity in administering an online platform that enabled an organized gang to conduct illicit transactions, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, according to a press statement released by the French authorities.

Other charges released by the French prosecutor's office include complicity in "allowing criminal activity," such as the distribution of drugs and child pornography, fraud, money laundering, as well as refusing to share information with the authorities.

In videos circulating online, Durov is seen walking out of a gated parking lot while police look on. He is escorted to a private car with tinted windows, and did not answer any questions from the waiting press outside.

[...]

See also:

• Telegram founder finds out that 'freedom' isn't free
• How the EU tightened the noose on Telegram