According to Pavel Durov, a year after his arrest in France, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence of his guilt or any wrongdoing by Telegram.
“Arresting the head of a major platform for the actions of its users is not only unprecedented but also legally and logically absurd,” he noted.
The messenger’s creator emphasized that he must return to the country every 14 days, despite the absence of an appeal date. According to him, the detention has only damaged France’s reputation.
Context
Durov was detained at Paris airport on August 24, 2024. A few days later, the court released him on bail of €5 million.
The founder of Telegram was charged with 12 counts, including fraud, aiding money laundering, and distributing child sexual abuse material through the platform. French authorities claimed that Durov ignored their requests, thus failing to counteract criminals.
In March of this year, the programmer was allowed to leave France for trips to Dubai, where Telegram’s headquarters is located. The rules remain strict. Visiting other countries requires separate permission from a French judge.
The criminal case against Durov remains in the preliminary investigation stage. In July, he was interrogated for the third time since his detention.
In February, the official representative of the Paris prosecutor’s office, Maïlys de Réc, stated that the transfer of materials to the judicial authorities is expected no earlier than a year or even later.
According to Durov himself, subsequent legal proceedings could drag on for several more years. The messenger’s founder faces 10 years in prison.
Community and Market Reaction
Durov’s arrest attracted the attention of the crypto community. Within a few days, an open letter to the French government calling for the release of the Telegram founder gathered 2.3 million signatures.
The detention of the programmer was criticized by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. He expressed concern about the “future of software freedom” in Europe.
The native token of the TON ecosystem, Toncoin, reacted with a decline. According to CoinGecko, its price has fallen by 43.9% over the past year. At the time of writing, the asset is trading at $3.1.
In November 2024, Telegram’s financial reports provided to investors indicated that Durov’s detention did not have a “significant impact” on the messenger’s operations. This was aided by the rising value of cryptocurrencies on the company’s balance sheet.
Previously, former president of TON Foundation and CEO of TVM Ventures, Steve Yun, stated that The Open Network has become more independent from Durov. Despite the issues, the prospects remain favorable, he added.
Back in April, the founder of Telegram criticized European authorities for promoting a law on so-called backdoor end-to-end encryption.