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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on 24 August 2024 as part of a judicial investigation into alleged criminal activity connected to the messaging platform and its handling of requests from authorities. French prosecutors listed a broad set of alleged offenses; the arrest and subsequent preliminary-investigation status were not a conviction. As of 4 October 2026, the accessible sources reviewed for this article do not establish the case’s final outcome.
Why was Pavel Durov arrested?
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said a judicial investigation had been opened on 8 July 2024 against an unnamed person, following a preliminary inquiry initiated by its cybercrime section, JUNALCO. Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on 24 August and taken into police custody at 8 p.m., according to the prosecutor’s account.
In a statement dated 26 August, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said investigators from the Centre for the Fight against Cybercrime (C3N) and the Anti-Fraud National Office (ONAF) had been assigned to continue the investigation. The statement said custody could last up to 96 hours under the procedure being used for organized-crime offenses. It also explained the procedural context in which investigators questioned Durov.
What offenses did French prosecutors list?
The prosecutor’s 26 August 2024 statement listed alleged offenses under investigation. In paraphrase, they concerned:
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- Alleged complicity in administering an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group.
- Refusal to provide competent authorities with information or documents needed for legally authorized interceptions.
- Alleged complicity in possessing and distributing pornographic images of minors.
- Alleged complicity in narcotics offenses, cyber-intrusion tools, and organized fraud.
- Criminal association and money laundering.
- Providing or importing certain cryptology services or tools without the required declarations.
This was the prosecutor’s list of allegations, not a court’s finding that Durov committed those acts. The investigation was initially opened against an unnamed person. The list does not establish that Durov personally carried out each alleged act, that every allegation was ultimately maintained, or that he was found guilty.
What happened after his arrest?
On 28 August 2024, Euronews, reporting with the Associated Press (AP), said French judges had placed Durov under preliminary investigation on the charges for which he had been arrested and released him under judicial supervision. The report described the conditions as €5 million bail, reporting to police twice a week, and a prohibition on leaving France. Those were the reported conditions at that time, not proof that they remained in force indefinitely.
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A preliminary-investigation status is not a conviction or a definitive trial verdict. In French procedure, an mise en examen is a formal investigative status for a person where there are serious or consistent indications of possible involvement in an offense; it allows the investigation to continue and does not determine guilt. The August 2024 reporting described Durov as placed under preliminary investigation. That procedural step should not be confused with a finding after trial.
What did Telegram, Durov, and Macron say?
The statements made publicly after the arrest represented the positions of the speakers, not findings resolving the allegations:
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- Telegram said it abides by European Union laws and described its moderation as “within industry standards and constantly improving,” according to Euronews/AP reporting.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said the arrest was not political and was part of an independent investigation, as reported by Euronews/AP.
- In March 2025, AP reported Durov’s claim that Telegram had “for years Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations” concerning moderation, cooperation, and fighting crime.
What was the status of the French investigation?
AP reported on 17 March 2025 that Durov had travelled to Dubai after spending several months in France and that the French investigation was still ongoing. AP said Durov had thanked the investigative judges for allowing the trip. That update shows that the travel restriction reported in August 2024 was not an unchanging condition; it does not establish how the case later concluded.
As of 4 October 2026, the accessible sources reviewed for this article do not establish a final outcome in the French case. A search-result snippet dated 8 July 2026 appeared to refer to another questioning, but the underlying TF1 Info article was inaccessible, so those details cannot be treated here as verified developments. No conclusion about dismissal, trial, or conviction follows from the available confirmed reporting.
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