Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest Linked to Sweeping Criminal Investigation

image via WIRED

August 26, 2024, 9:23 PM

• •French prosecutors have arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on suspicion of money laundering and other charges.
• •Durov was arrested at Paris' Le Bourget airport on Saturday and is being held in police custody until Wednesday.
• •The investigation into Telegram began on July 8 and involves wide-ranging charges related to alleged money laundering, violations related to import and export of encryption tools, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and "complicity" in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, and more.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday and is being held as part of an investigation into the company. Durov has not yet been charged with any crime, but officials said that he is being held as part of an investigation “against person unnamed” and can be held in police custody until Wednesday. The investigation began on July 8 and involves wide-ranging charges related to alleged money laundering, violations related to import and export of encryption tools, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and “complicity” in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, and more.

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