These Are All Possible Charges Against Telegram’s Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, is currently in custody in France following his detention on August 24, 2024. Durov’s arrest, which took place at 8:00 p.m. in Le Bourget, is part of a broader judicial investigation initiated by the Paris prosecutor’s office on July 8, 2024.

The investigation stems from serious allegations involving organized crime activities facilitated through Telegram.

All Charges Pavel Durov Might Face

Durov’s detention is linked to several severe allegations. The charges under consideration include complicity in operating an online platform that facilitated illicit transactions linked to organized crime. Moreover, Durov could face charges for allegedly refusing to provide critical information or documents needed by authorities to conduct lawful surveillance.

Additional charges involve serious accusations of complicity in possessing and distributing child pornography. These charges highlight concerns about the platform’s role in making such content accessible within criminal networks. The investigation also extends to accusations of complicity in narcotics-related offenses, including the acquisition, transport, and sale of illegal substances.

Here are all the charges that Telegram CEO Pavel Durov could face in France:

1. Complicity in the administration of an online platform facilitating illicit transactions in organized crime.
2. Refusal to provide necessary information or documents requested by authorized authorities for conducting and exploiting lawful interceptions.
3. Complicity in possessing child pornography.
4. Complicity in distributing, offering, or making available pornographic images of minors in organized crime.
5. Complicity in the acquisition, transport, possession, offering, or sale of narcotics.
6. Complicity in offering, selling, or providing without legitimate reason equipment, tools, programs, or data designed or adapted to breach or access an automated data processing system.
7. Complicity in organized fraud.
8. Conspiracy to commit a crime or offense punishable by at least 5 years of imprisonment.
9. Money laundering in organized crime.
10. Providing cryptographic services aimed at ensuring confidentiality without proper declaration.
11. Providing cryptographic means not exclusively ensuring authentication or integrity control functions without prior declaration.
12. Importing cryptographic means not exclusively ensuring authentication or integrity control functions without prior declaration.

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The scope of the investigation further includes charges related to cybercrime, such as providing cryptographic services and tools designed to breach data systems without proper authorization. Durov could also be implicated in organized fraud and conspiracy to commit crimes punishable by at least five years of imprisonment.

Investigators from the Center for Combating Digital Crime (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) are leading the probe. Given the gravity of the charges, Durov’s custody was extended to 96 hours, which is part of the procedural measures allowed under French law. In a public statement, Telegram asserted that Durov has “nothing to hide.”

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation,” said Telegram in a statement.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau emphasized that the investigation was “against person unnamed,” with Durov’s role and potential charges still under review. French legal proceedings allow magistrates broad investigative powers, which can lead to formal charges or the dropping of charges if evidence proves insufficient. But many see the arrest of Durov as an attack on free speech.

“The arrest of Pavel Durov is a disturbing attack on free speech and a threat not just to Telegram but to any online platform. Governments should not engage in censorship. This is a blatant and deeply troubling overreach of power,” said computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman.

As the investigation continues, Durov’s legal future remains uncertain, with the potential for a lengthy judicial process ahead.