Pavel Durov, the co‑founder and CEO of Telegram, is still under intense legal scrutiny nearly a year after being arrested in France. His airport detention in August 2024 led to six criminal charges, including alleged complicity in distributing child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and organized fraud. He spent four days in solitary confinement and was released on €5 million bail under strict judicial supervision.
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Durov asserts his innocence, calling the charges “absurd” and insisting he has “nothing to do with these crimes,” while pointing to Telegram’s cooperation with authorities and proactive content moderation. The platform reportedly removes 15–20 million user accounts and shuts down 1–2 million channels or groups every month . He admitted that during custody he realized “the seriousness of all the allegations” and has pledged to improve moderation further.
In March 2025, French authorities granted him temporary release to visit Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. Despite this, he remains under travel restrictions and cannot travel freely, recently being denied permission to visit the U.S. for investment meetings. Durov described his detention as a pressure tactic and praised investigative judges for permitting his departure, emphasizing Telegram’s commitment to cooperating with legal requests.
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The case marks an unprecedented legal challenge for a major tech CEO, focusing on platform liability for user‑generated content. As prosecutors push forward, Durov remains under judicial oversight, his freedom restricted, and negotiations ongoing—even as Telegram continues to serve nearly a billion users globally.
