Telegram’s Pavel Durov Talks About His Arrest in France a Year Later: Calls the Case ‘Unfair and Illogical’
Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Reflects on His Arrest in France
Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram app, shared his thoughts one year after being arrested by French authorities. He said investigators still haven’t found proof that he or Telegram did anything wrong.
Durov called his arrest “legally and logically absurd,” since he was accused of crimes committed by Telegram users, not himself.
He was arrested on August 24, 2024, and charged with 12 counts, including helping crimes like money laundering and the spread of illegal content. Until now, he is still under investigation and must return to France every two weeks.
Telegram has become an important platform for the Web3 community through its link with The Open Network (TON). Its token, Toncoin, is one of the world’s top 25 cryptocurrencies by market value. After Durov’s arrest, activity on the TON network increased sharply, though it later slowed down.
Durov now lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based. French courts allow him to travel between Dubai and France, but he needs special permission to go anywhere else.
