Telegram chief Pavel Durov has been indicted on charges of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app and placed under judicial supervision, the Paris prosecutor's office said on August 28.
Durov is required to report to the police station twice a week and is prohibited from leaving France, the prosecutor's office said in a statement posted on X. Investigative judges in Paris also ordered the Russian-born co-founder and CEO of Telegram to pay 5 million euros bail.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on August 24 and held for questioning. According to French media reports, this was done at the request of a special unit within France's Interior Ministry in charge of investigating crimes against minors.
The allegations against Durov include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators as required by law.
The first preliminary charge against him is for "complicity in managing an online platform to allow illicit transactions by an organized group,'' a crime that can lead to sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a 500,000 euro fine, the prosecutor's office said.
SEE ALSO: Explainer: The Dark Side Of TelegramPreliminary charges under French law mean magistrates have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for further investigation.
Telegram said in a statement on August 25 that Durov had nothing to hide, adding it was absurd to hold an owner responsible for the abuse of the messaging and social media platform.
His lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, echoed that statement after the preliminary charges were announced on August 28.
"It is totally absurd to think that the head of a social network...could be involved in criminal acts" that could be committed on the messaging service, Kaminski said, adding that Telegram "complies in all respects with European rules concerning digital technology."
In addition to Russian and French citizenships, Durov holds passports from the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The U.A.E. Foreign Ministry said it was "closely following the case" and had asked France to provide Durov "with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner."
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 27 that the allegations against Durov were "very serious" and that "they require evidence that is just as serious" to erase the suspicions of many that the billionaire's arrest was politically motivated.
Without substantial evidence, "we are witnessing a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication and, one might even say, direct intimidation of the head of a large company," Peskov said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has tried to allay such suspicion, saying on August 26 that Durov's arrest was solely part of an independent investigation.
In a post on X, Macron said France is "deeply committed" to freedom of expression but that "freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights."
Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother in 2013 in the wake of the Russian government's crackdown after mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in 2011 and 2012.
One of its main advantages is the encryption of communications and the anonymity of users. In groups, the user's phone number is not visible.
In his first major interview in seven years, which he gave to U.S. conservative media figure Tucker Carlson on April 17, Durov vowed that Telegram aims to be a "neutral platform" and not a "player in geopolitics."
Critics in Ukraine, however, say it spreads misinformation and facilitates illegal actions. Some accuse Telegram of having ties to the Russian state and of contributing to its war effort.
Telegram, based in Dubai, boasts more than 900 million users, the majority of them in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics, and is the third-largest communication platform worldwide after WhatsApp and Messenger.
But Telegram has proved to be a powerful tool in spreading disinformation. A 2023 investigative journalism report found it to be the largest platform for disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2022 it ran it afoul of authorities in Germany, who issued fines of 5.1 million euros ($5 million) against the operators of Telegram for failing to comply with German law.