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A series of accusations
Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening and was questioned by investigators in the following days.
He was conditionally released on bail of 5 million euros ($5.5 million) on the condition that he report to a police station twice a week and remain in France, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.
The charges involve criminal conduct by an organized group, including “conspiracy to manage an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions.”
If convicted, this charge alone could carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a €500,000 fine.
Durov is also accused of refusing to share documents requested by authorities, “organized distribution of child pornography images of minors,” as well as drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering.
Paris prosecutors said French judicial authorities had become aware of Telegram’s “almost no response” to their requests and first launched an investigation in February 2024.
Next, the case will go to trial.
Separately, the source said Durov was also being investigated for alleged “serious violence” against one of his children while in Paris with his ex-partner, the boy’s mother. She had filed a criminal complaint against him in Switzerland last year.
The tech tycoon founded Telegram a decade ago when he left his native Russia following a dispute with Russian authorities over ownership of his first project, Russian-language social network VKontakte.
A mysterious figure who rarely speaks in publicDurov is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is headquartered.
Forbes magazine estimates his current wealth at $15.5 billion, though he proudly preaches the virtues of an ascetic life, including ice baths and no alcohol or coffee.
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