Telegram founder Pavel Durov charged in France, released on bail

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been formally placed under investigation as part of a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, French prosecutors announced Wednesday. He was granted bail but is banned from leaving the country.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said Durov, who was arrested at Le Bourget Airport on Saturday night, is facing multiple charges which relate to Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate and respond to illegal content on the platform.

Specifically, Durov is accused of complicity in organized crime, child pornography, drugs and fraud. He’s also accused of criminal association, providing cryptographic services to criminals, and refusing to communicate with authorities.

Being formally placed under investigation means the judges believe there is enough evidence to proceed with the probe but it does not guarantee it will lead to a trial. Investigations can last years before being sent to trial or shelved, according to Reuters.

Durov was granted bail for 5 million euros ($5.6 million) and was ordered to report to police twice a week. He was also banned from leaving French territory.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Telegram had been used in various criminal cases and that there was an “almost total lack of response” from the company when authorities reached out, which led to the investigation.

“When consulted, other French investigation services and prosecutor’s offices, as well as various partners within Eurojust, in particular Belgian ones, shared the same observation,” Beccuau said in a statement. “This is what led JUNALCO (agency against organized crime) to open an investigation into the possible criminal liability of the managers of this messaging service in the commission of these offenses.”

Telegram, which is used by nearly a billion users around the world, says it complies with EU laws and claims its moderation practices are within industry standards. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the company said in a statement on Sunday.