Commenting on the accusations against Pavel Durov, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau claims that Telegram has been involved in various criminal cases and that the messenger has shown "almost complete" disregard for judicial requests.
→ She emphasized that this is what ultimately attracted the attention of the cybercrime department of the Paris prosecutor's office.
→ Other French agencies and partners within Eurojust (the EU's judicial cooperation organization), including those from Belgium, shared this observation.
→ The investigation into the leaders of Telegram actually began back in February, and by July, a preliminary indictment had been drafted.
David-Olivier Kaminski, the lawyer for the head of Telegram, calls the accusations absurd and reminded that the messenger complies with EU laws in every respect, moderating content just like other platforms:
It is completely absurd to claim that the head of a social platform could be responsible for criminal acts that don’t involve him, either directly or indirectly.
At the same time, some media predict a protracted legal battle following today's court decision. The investigation regarding Durov and Telegram could last for years.
@durovs_code