PARIS, Thursday, August 29, 2024- — Telegram CEO Pavel Durov who was arrested last week in France, was indicted by a French court yesterday (Wednesday) on charges including “complicity in the spread of sexual images of children” and drug trafficking, Bloomberg reported.
Durov, who was taken into custody earlier in the day as part of a broad cybercrime investigation, has been released under “judicial supervision.”
This requires him to remain in France and pay a 5 million euro deposit, Reuters reported.
The investigation alleges that Telegram provided cryptographic tools and services facilitating money laundering, child pornography, and drug trafficking.
The French authorities’ actions follow a sweeping probe into cybercrime networks.
Durov appeared in court after being released from police custody. His arrest has drawn notable support from figures in the cryptocurrency sector, including developers from the TON blockchain and TON Society, an organization advocating for the blockchain.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Durov’s arrest was part of an ongoing judicial investigation and emphasized that it was “in no way a political decision.”
However, many free speech activists and Cryptocurrency proponents argue otherwise.
Telegram a messaging app with end-to-end encryption, has not yet issued a public statement regarding the indictment.
