Pavel Durov, the Russian-born co-founder of Telegram, was formally charged late Wednesday by French authorities on suspicion of allowing illegal activity to take place on his popular social media platform and messaging app.
Courthouse News reports Durov, Telegram's flamboyant billionaire chief executive, was removed from detention and transferred to a Paris court on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the indictment. He will remain free on a 5 million euro bond, nearly $5.6 million, but cannot leave France.
French media reported that authorities also opened an investigation over allegations that Durov was violent with one of his sons in Paris who was attending school there in 2017.
An arrest warrant, reportedly issued in late March, accused Durov of not cooperating with authorities and allowing fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, child pornography and the promotion of terrorism to take place on the platform. There is no indication that Durov was personally involved in criminal activity on Telegram.
His arrest and indictment were met with both condemnation and applause around the world. Critics denounced the case as a politically motivated attack on free speech while others accused Telegram of becoming a dangerous online tool used to spread disinformation and conduct illegal activities.
The 39-year-old tech entrepreneur, who lives and runs his business in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was arrested Saturday night when his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.
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