Several days after Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France, he has now been formally charged with alleged crimes that French prosecutors claimed were committed through the use of the popular messaging app.
NBC News reports that those Paris-based prosecutors listed a number of alleged crimes that Durov is being charged with. They include being complicit with crimes related to child sexual abuse and drug trafficking, along with the use of encrypted technology without the proper approvals and not replying to law enforcement requests.
Just one of the charges that Durov faces, which deals with being complicit in "administering an online platform permitting illicit transactions by an organized group" has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison along with a fine of 500,000 euros (about $555,750).
Russia-born Durov, who launched Telegram in 2013, was arrested on August 24 after his plane touched down at France's Bourget airport outside Paris. Now that he has been charged, he cannot leave the country of France and will have to report to French police twice a week.
His bail has been set for 5 million Euros (about $5.6 million). Since Durov is reportedly worth $15.5 billion, according to Forbes, he should be able to make bail and get out of jail while he awaits trial.
As of this writing, neither Durov nor Telegram have commented on these charges. On Sunday, Telegram did issue a statement following Durov's arrest. It stated the Telegram app abided by laws of the European Union, and follows the EU's Digital Digital Services Act. In addition, Telegram said that its moderation efforts are "within industry standards and constantly improving." As for Durov, Telegram stated he had nothing to hide, and added, " It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."
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