Paris Court Announces Charges Against Pavel Durov Including Money Laundering, Fraud
Date: 2024-08-27 Author: Henry Casey Categories: IN WORLD
The Paris Court of Justice (Tribunal Judiciaire De Paris) on Monday announced a list of 12 potential charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
The “complicity” charges include distributing child pornography, selling drugs, and organizing fraud and money laundering.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the online platform’s administration allowed illegal transactions to be carried out as part of an organized group. In addition, the platform refused to respond to the authorities’ request.
Durov was also charged with possessing and distributing images of minors’ pornography.
Durov is accused of providing cryptocurrency to Telegram users
In addition, three counts of the indictment state that Durov provided Telegram users with access to cryptological tools and services. He provided cryptocurrency funds without obtaining the appropriate government approval, the report added.
Prosecutors said that given the nature of these potential charges, they will keep Durov in custody until Wednesday.
Police arrested Pavel Durov on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Bourget Airport near Paris. Initial reports of his arrest hinted at problems with Telegram’s content moderation practices. However, the lack of formal charges led to widespread speculation in the industry at the time.
TON Plunges After Durov’s Arrest in Paris
The price of Toncoin (TON), a digital asset from a blockchain project linked to Telegram, fell shortly after Durov’s arrest. According to CoinMarketCap, TON has lost $2.7 billion in market value, falling out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies. The coin is currently down 21.47% over the past week, trading at $5.38.
The list of charges brought by the Paris prosecutor's office is part of a judicial investigation opened on July 8, 2024, following a preliminary inquiry.
"The investigating judges responsible for this judicial information have jointly asked the digital crime centre (C3N) and the national anti-fraud office (ONAF) to continue the investigation."
