France charges Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with child pornography, drug crimes

Telegram is also facing accusations of not cooperating with authorities by withholding information, engaging in money laundering

France on Thursday brought charges against Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov, accusing him of offenses involving the messaging app, such as permitting child pornography and drug trafficking. French authorities prohibited Durov from departing the country after he was released on bail.

The French investigation centres on Telegram's complicity in several crimes, including operating an online platform that facilitated the organised distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud, according to prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

Telegram faces accusations of not cooperating with the French authorities by withholding information, engaging in money laundering, and offering cryptographic services to criminals, the statement revealed.

Durov was arrested on August 24, at Le Bourget airport near Paris in connection with the "organised crime" investigation. He was subsequently released on a Euro 5 million bail with the condition that he remains in France and reports to a police station twice a week. Preliminary charges related to the investigation have been brought against him, with the initial charge involving complicity in managing an online platform to facilitate illegal activities by an organised group.

According to a report by news agency AP, preliminary charges under French law suggest that magistrates have significant grounds to believe a crime may have occurred. Nonetheless, they are permitting additional time for further investigation before any sentencing is carried out.

Telegram has called the allegations as "absurd", stating that Durov has "nothing to hide".

Durov is under investigation for suspected "serious acts of violence" against one of his children during a period when he and his former partner, the child's mother, were in Paris. This former partner also lodged a separate complaint against Durov in Switzerland last year, according to media reports.

(With agency inputs)