Telegram founder Pavel Durov has lashed out at French authorities, accusing them of pursuing a baseless criminal investigation that has dragged on for more than a year and left him tethered to legal obligations in Paris.
Durov, a Dubai-based billionaire, said on Sunday, August 24, that prosecutors are wrongly holding him responsible for crimes allegedly facilitated through Telegram, a platform that serves nearly one billion people globally. He argued that blaming a CEO for user behavior sets “a legally and logically absurd precedent.”
The entrepreneur, who was temporarily allowed to leave France for Dubai in March, faces multiple charges tied to claims that Telegram enabled organized crime. He revealed he must still return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight.
“Arresting a CEO of a major platform over the actions of its users was not only unprecedented — it was legally and logically absurd,”
Durov said, adding that French investigators failed to follow proper EU legal channels before August 2024 when requesting user data. According to him, Telegram has responded to all binding legal requests and enforces moderation practices aligned with industry standards.
Durov has previously sparred with French authorities. Last September, he condemned their direct questioning as bypassing official European Union procedures and called the case a “misguided approach” based on outdated laws. He maintains that Telegram actively removes harmful content daily and collaborates with NGOs to keep the platform safe.
Meanwhile, the case has coincided with turbulence in Telegram’s crypto-linked ecosystem. The TON token, central to the platform’s blockchain strategy, is trading at $3.30 — a steep 60% drop from its all-time high of $8.25 according to CoinGhecko data. Despite the decline, TON remains integral to Telegram’s Web3 ambitions.
With Telegram’s monthly active users approaching one billion as of July 2025, the outcome of Durov’s legal fight in France may prove pivotal — not just for his personal freedom but also for the future of the platform’s expanding digital ecosystem.
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