Paris prosecutors announced on Wednesday that Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been released on bail after being accused of several “crimes,” including running an online platform allegedly used for illegal transactions.
The Paris prosecutor’s office stated that Durov could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of operating a platform that facilitates unlawful activities.
The charges against him in France include “providing encryption services intended to offer secret functionalities without proper disclosure, and conspiring to transfer and provide equipment, tools, software, or data without any legal basis.”
According to the prosecutor’s statement, Durov has been prohibited from leaving France and was required to post a bail of €5 million. However, he was not placed in pre-trial detention.
Durov spent several hours in court before the Paris prosecutor’s office announced his potential release on bail. French media reported that the Telegram founder was arrested at an airport in the outskirts of Paris.
French authorities had been seeking him in connection with an investigation into crimes against minors, leading to his detention at the request of the French agency responsible for combating such crimes.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow is prepared to provide legal assistance to Pavel Durov, who holds Russian citizenship.
Additionally, American journalist Tucker Carlson condemned Durov’s detention in France, calling it “a hallmark of dictatorship.”
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has demanded that France offer all necessary consular services to the detained Telegram founder.
