The Paris Tribunal Judiciaire De Paris (Tribunal Judiciaire De Paris) on Monday published a list of 12 potential charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. Some of the “complicity” charges include distribution of child pornography, sale of drugs, and organized fraud and money laundering.
According to the prosecutor’s official communiqué, the administration of the online platform enabled illegal transactions in an organized group. In addition, the platform refused to communicate at the request of the authorities. Durov was also accused of possessing pornography images of minors and distributing these images.
In addition, the three charges stated that Durov provided Telegram users with access to cryptologic tools and services. He provided cryptologic means without receiving proper government authorization, they added.
Prosecutors said that given the nature of these potential charges, they would keep Durov in custody until Wednesday.
Police arrested Pavel Durov on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Bourget Airport near Paris. Initial reports suggested problems with Telegram’s content moderation practices in connection with his arrest. However, the lack of official charges then led to widespread speculation in the industry.
TON falls after Durov’s arrest in Paris
The price of Toncoin (TON), a digital asset from a blockchain project linked to Telegram, fell sharply soon after Durov’s arrest. TON lost $2.7 billion in market value, falling out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies, according to CoinMarketCap. The coin has now fallen 21.47% over the past week and is trading at $5.38 at the time of going to press.
The list of charges by the Paris prosecutor’s office is part of a judicial investigation launched on July 8, 2024, following an initial initiative investigation, the release reads.
“The investigating judges in charge of this forensic information have jointly asked the Center for Combating Digital Crime (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) to continue their investigations.”
