French judges to decide on continuation of investigation into Pavel Durov

PARIS: French investigating judges are due to decide later on Wednesday (August 28) whether to indict Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov after he was arrested as part of an investigation into organised crime on the messaging app.

Durov’s arrest as he landed at an airport near Paris on a private jet Saturday night has shone a spotlight on the criminal liability of app providers and also sparked a debate over where free speech ends and law enforcement begins.

With nearly a billion users, Telegram is particularly present in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union.

In France, being indicted does not mean that the accused is guilty or that he or she must be tried. But it does show that judges consider the case strong enough to continue the investigation. Investigations can last for years before being sent to court or closed without further action.

If Durov, who has been in custody since his arrest, is charged, judges will also have to decide whether he should be remanded in custody. They will take into account, among other things, the possibility that he may try to flee.

A source at the Paris prosecutor’s office said an update on the investigation was expected to be released on Wednesday evening.

The overall investigation is at this stage directed against unspecified persons.

The case involves suspicions of complicity in crimes including running an online platform that enabled illicit transactions, possessing child sexual abuse images, drug trafficking, fraud, refusing to hand over information to authorities and providing crypto services to criminals, prosecutors said.

The prosecutor’s office did not specify what crime or crimes Durov himself might be suspected of.

Durov’s French lawyer did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Reuters by email and telephone.

His arrest, which President Emmanuel Macron has said was not politically motivated, further damaged already strained diplomatic relations between Russia and France, which has supported Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

Durov was taken into custody at 8 p.m. local time on Saturday, and his detention can last 96 hours – or a maximum of four days – before judges decide whether to place him under formal investigation.