In what marks a debut appearance in a Paris court, Pavel Durov, the creator of Telegram, underwent questioning in relation to a legal dispute centered around accusations of Telegram being a conduit for criminal activity. This interrogation, which took place at 10 am CET on Dec. 6, included Durov’s attorneys, David-Olivier Kaminski and Christophe Ingrain. Anonymous informants divulged to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that inquiries were primarily concerning allegations of Telegram being used for prohibited transactions.
Durov expressed trust in the French judicial system to the AFP when pressed about the legal battle but chose not to provide further details. Trouble with the law for Durov started on Aug. 24, when the French authorities briefly detained him at Le Bourget airport in Paris. He was released after paying a $6 million bail, but his freedom to exit France has been limited till March 2025.
French legal officers have levied charges against Durov, alleging that his platform enables illicit operations. These provisional charges were presented on Aug. 28 and have spiked concerns among trade insiders about Web3 technologies that emphasize privacy.
The Parisian office of the prosecutor, Parquet de Paris, formally charged Durov on Aug. 28 with allegations of facilitating a platform aiding illegal dealings. If found guilty, Durov may face a prison sentence of up to ten years along with a €500,000 ($550,000) fine. The French authorities had reportedly begun an initial inquiry into Telegram back in February 2024 that subsequently became a judicial investigation the following July.
Moreover, industry insiders have voiced apprehensions that Durov’s legal challenges can have troubling implications for the crypto sector. Vyara Savova from the European Crypto Initiative drew parallels between Durov’s case and the arrest of Alexey Pertsev, Tornado Cash developer. Savova sees these actions, which are by individual member states and not the European Commission or the EU, as concerning precedents. Nikolay Denisenko, co-founder of the financial app Brighty, further suggested that the arrests might signal a worrisome attack on developers creating technologies that preserve privacy.