Telegram’s Durov questioned in France over alleged illegal content on app
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under formal investigation by French authorities over illegal content on his popular messaging service.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, was questioned in Paris on July 28 regarding the platform's alleged role in enabling criminal activity.
- Durov faces charges of complicity in illicit transactions and illegal content on Telegram, which he denies but pledges to improve moderation.
- Durov's lawyers are challenging the charges in French courts and the EU, despite improved cooperation between Telegram and authorities.
AI generated
PARIS - Telegram founder Pavel Durov faced questioning by investigating magistrates in Paris on July 28 about the platform’s alleged complicity in criminal activity, sources close to the case said.
Durov, 40, was sensationally detained in Paris in 2024
Arriving at the Paris courthouse on the morning of July 28, the Russian-born entrepreneur faced his third round of questioning since being charged with multiple infractions linked to enabling organised crime.
Durov, who holds French and Russian passports, has been accused of complicity in running an online platform that allowed illicit transactions, child sex abuse images and other illegal content.
Durov has denied the claims, and neither he nor his lawyers responded to a request for comment.
In his initial questioning in December 2024, Durov denied creating Telegram for illicit use but acknowledged a growing criminal presence on the platform, and pledged to strengthen moderation.
French judicial authorities have noted an improvement in cooperation with Telegram since Durov’s arrest, sources involved in organised crime cases told AFP.
Durov, who was initially banned from leaving France, had his judicial control relaxed
Durov’s lawyers have filed motions to dismiss the charges with the Paris Appeals Court, according to a source close to the case.
“We firmly contest the legality of our client’s indictment and that of the numerous investigative acts carried out in defiance of domestic and European law,” his lawyers said in their statement on July 28.
The lawyers have also filed a legal challenge in France to test the constitutionality of the case, along with a request for a preliminary ruling from the European Union’s top court, according to the same source. AFP
