Telegram CEO Pavel Durov formally indicted but can avoid detention before trial

• Official charges have been brought against the Telegram founder and CEO – Durov
• The French judge allow Durov to avoid detention before trial but he is not allowed to leave the country

The crypto community has been in an uproar since the start of this week over the unprecedented arrest of social messaging app, Telegram’s founder – Pavel Durov. The creator of Telegram was arrested on Saturday from Le Bourget airport, outskirts of Paris. In the latest developments, Durov has been officially charged for “complicity” in the criminal use of the application.

In lieu of the charges, the Telegram creator is not allowed to leave the country till the case against him draws an end in the courts. While all seems to be going south, the CEO was provided with a relief of avoiding detention before trial. However, to avail this, he would be required to make a pay $5 million in bail and report to police twice a week, according to Reuters’ report.

Telegram’s CEO held for criminal use of the app

Soon after Durov’s arrest, the French authorities released a press notice claiming that the arrest was part of the investigation that started on July 8th 2024. The notice further claimed that the investigation related to charges “complicity in enabling illegal transactions, possession and distribution of child pornography, distribution of drugs among illegal activities.

This announcement, however, was not received well by the netizens as they view this an attempt to clamp down on Freedom of Expression and Speech. Moreover, Durov has been a public advocate of the basic rights of the ordinary folks to the extent of even going against the Russian government in the past.

The arrest garnered the scrutiny of the public and popular folks like Elon Musk – the owner of social media platform, X. Notably, the dissent towards the French government had reached to a heated level, resulting in French President – Emmanuel Macron stepping in.

President Macron took to X to express,

“I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication (…) 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.”

While today’s indictment does not declare Durov has either innocent or guilty, the case would be a defining moment in an era that is moving from Web2 to Web3.