French Judge Decides Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's Fate

JAKARTA - French investigative judges today will decide whether to place Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation after his arrest of alleged crimes in the messaging app.

Durov's detention as he landed at an airport near Paris on a private jet late Saturday highlighted the criminal responsibility of the app provider and sparked debate about where freedom of speech ended and law enforcement began.

Reported by Reuters on Wednesday, August 28, Politico wrote that French authorities had also issued an arrest warrant for Durov's brother, Nikolai, one of the founders of Telegram. A warrant targeting the two brothers was issued in March.

When asked about the report, the Paris prosecutor's office said it had not commented on the arrest warrant because the warrant was protected by the confidentiality of the investigation.

At this stage, the only person examined in this case was Pavel Durov.

Durov's arrest also highlighted the uncomfortable relationship between Telegram, which has nearly 1 billion users and the government.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who and his team used Telegram to communicate, had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of meetings held by the French leader with tech entrepreneurs, said a source close to Macron.

Placed in a formal investigation in France does not imply guilt or should go to court, but shows the judge considers there is sufficient evidence to continue the investigation.

Investigations can last years before being sent to court or suspended. If Durov is placed under formal investigation, the judge will also decide whether to put him in pretrial custody. One of the factors they will consider is whether he can try to escape.