Telegram boss Pavel Durov was released from custody on Wednesday ahead of his French court appearance, after four days of questioning over allegations that the platform is being used for illegal activities.
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire who co-founded the app with his brother Nikolai, was arrested at Paris–Le Bourget Airport after his private jet arrived from Azerbaijan on Saturday night.
The Paris prosecutor’s office told The Epoch Times by email: “An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment.”
Judicial Investigation
Laure Beccuau, the prosecutor who authorized Durov’s arrest, published a statement in French on Aug. 26 that listed the 12 charges that her judicial investigation had opened “against an unnamed person.”
Some of the charges include complicity in operating a platform for illegal transactions, refusal to provide information to authorities, involvement in child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering by an organized gang.
The judicial system in France operates differently from those in many other countries, and judges play a more active role in investigating and prosecuting crimes.
