Paris Court: Pavel Durov accused of 6 crimes, judicial investigation launched against Telegram

According to information disclosed on the Paris Court website, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been prosecuted for all the crimes mentioned in the introductory indictment, including: - Organized conspiracy to manage online platforms for illegal transactions (punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros); - Refusal to provide information or documents as requested by authorized agencies; - Conspiracy to commit crimes, including providing programs or data intended to disrupt automated data processing systems without legitimate reasons, organized dissemination of images of minors, trafficking in illegal drugs, organized gang fraud, conspiracy or illegal acts for the purpose of committing crimes; - Organized gang crimes and money laundering; - Providing encryption services outside the compliance framework; - Providing encryption means without ensuring identity verification or integrity control functions. Pavel Durov will be under judicial supervision, provide a bail of 5 million euros, have the obligation to report to the police station twice a week, and be prohibited from leaving France. The court stated that Telegram had almost completely failed to respond to legal requests, attracting the attention of the JUNALCO (Paris Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime Jurisdiction) Cybercrime Unit (J3), especially the OFMIN (National Office for Minors). The preliminary investigation began in February 2024 under the guidance of the Paris Prosecutor's Office and coordinated by OFMIN. According to the introductory indictment of July 8, 2024, the judicial investigation has been initiated. Investigating magistrates have entrusted C3N (National Gendarmerie Cyber ​​Unit) and ONAF (National Anti-Fraud Customs Office) to continue the investigation.