Telegram CEO Charged with Complicity in Crimes as French Gov Websites Attacked

Following his arrest on August 24, French prosecutors have now revealed the charges against Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, and it’s a pretty lengthy list. The charges include serious offences such as possession and distribution of child pornography, involvement in drug trafficking, and refusing to cooperate with investigators. 

The levelling of charges against Durov signals an escalation of the investigation into “X” — a reference by French authorities to an unknown person or persons (not the social media platform), which began on July 8. The investigation is led by France’s Ofmin, an agency established last year with the goal of combatting crimes against children.

Since Durov’s arrest, Toncoin (TON), a cryptocurrency closely linked to and widely used on Telegram has dropped by over 20% — at the time of writing data from CoinGecko showed it was changing hands at US$5.18 (AU$7.64), down from US$6.80 (AU$10.03) before Durov’s arrest. 

Related: Telegram Founder and CEO Arrested in France, TON Price Plummets

Durov Slapped with Laundry List of Serious Charges

The accusations against Durov essentially boil down to his refusal to work with French authorities to moderate Telegram in such a way that criminal activity on the platform could be reduced or eliminated. Instead, Durov has pursued a policy of ‘free speech’, which has led to Telegram becoming something of a haven for organised crime, extremism and scams.

The charges against Durov were revealed in a press release from the Tribunal Judiciaire De Paris published yesterday, the charges are listed below (translated from French to English using Google Translate):

• Complicity – Administration of an online platform to enable an illicit transaction by an organised gang;
• Refusal to communicate, upon request from the authorised authorities, the information or documents necessary for the performance and exploitation of interceptions authorised by law;
• Complicity – Possession of the image of a minor of a child pornographic nature;
• Complicity – Dissemination, offer or provision by an organised gang of an image of a minor of a pornographic nature;
• Complicity – Acquisition, transport, possession, offer or transfer of narcotics;
• Complicity – Offer, transfer or provision without legitimate reason of equipment, an instrument, a program or data designed or adapted for an attack and access to the operation of an automated data processing system;
• Complicity – Fraud by an organised gang;
• Criminal association with a view to committing a crime or an offence punishable by at least 5 years of imprisonment;
• Money laundering of crimes or offences by an organised gang;
• Provision of cryptology services aimed at ensuring confidentiality functions without a proper declaration;
• Provision of a means of cryptology not exclusively ensuring authentication or integrity control functions without prior declaration;
• Importation of a means of cryptology not exclusively ensuring authentication or integrity control functions without prior declaration.

According to a report from The Guardian, Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, said the investigation “concerned crimes related to illicit transactions, child sexual abuse, fraud and the refusal to communicate information to authorities”.

Posting on LinkedIn, Jean-Michel Bernigaud, the secretary general of Ofmin wrote: 

At the heart of this case is the lack of moderation and cooperation of the platform (which has almost 1 billion users), in particular in the fight against crimes against children.

Jean-Michel Bernigaud, Secretary General of Ofmin

In a statement post to X / Twitter Sunday evening French time, Telegram and Durov defended the platform’s content moderation policy saying:

Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.

Telegram Statement

French Government Websites Attacked Following Arrest

Multiple French government websites, including the Administrative Court of Paris and the French Health Department, have come under DDoS attack in the past day, with reports emerging that these attacks are in response to Durov’s arrest. 

Posting on X / Twitter, the account Entropia Intel claimed a pro-Russian hacker group was behind the attacks, suggesting Durov’s arrest and concerns about freedom of speech were their motivations.

Some high profile pro-crypto X / Twitter users, such as Elon Musk, have also spoken out about Durov’s arrest, with Musk suggesting it’s got nothing to do with crime and everything to do with censorship:

Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data.

Elon Musk, X / Twitter CEO

Related: Musk Empire: The Latest Telegram Game with Elon Musk Upgrades and Passive Income Mechanics

In response, French President Emmanuel Macron released a statement on X / Twitter to assure people the arrest of Durov was not politically motivated, insisting France remains committed to free speech. Macron said the Telegram CEO’s arrest is simply part of enforcing laws intended to protect French citizens:

France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so. In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law. 

Emmanuel Macron, French President

The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”