“The founder and director of the TELEGRAM instant messaging platform, Pavel DUROV, was arrested and placed in police custody on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 20:00 in Le Bourget. 
This measure was part of a judicial investigation opened on July 8, 2024, following a preliminary initiative investigation carried out by the J3 department (fighting cybercrime – JUNALCO) of the Paris prosecutor’s office.
This judicial investigation was initiated against unnamed persons – leaders:
Complicity in the administration of an online platform for the purpose of carrying out illegal transactions by an organized group,
Refusal to provide, at the request of authorized bodies, information or documents necessary for the implementation and use of legally permitted interception,
Complicity – possession of an image of a minor of a child pornographic nature,
– Complicity – Distribution, offering or delivery by an organized group of images of minors of a pornographic nature, –
Complicity Acquisition, transportation, storage, offer or transfer of drugs,
– Complicity Offering, transferring or making available, without good reason, equipment, tools, programs or data intended or adapted for attack, and access to the operation of an automated data processing system,
– Complicity – Organized gang fraud,
Association of criminals for the purpose of committing a crime or offense punishable by at least one year of imprisonment,
Laundering of crimes or offenses by an organized gang,
Providing cryptological services aimed at providing confidentiality functions without corresponding declaration,
Providing cryptology tools that do not provide solely authentication or integrity functions without prior application,
Import of cryptology tools that do not provide solely authentication or integrity functions without prior application.
The investigating judges responsible for this judicial information jointly asked the Center for Combating Digital Crime (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) to continue the investigation.
It is within this procedural framework that Pavel DUROV is interrogated by investigators.
This measure of police custody was extended on 25 August 2024 by the investigating judge and can last up to 96 hours (i.e. until 28 August 2024), subject to the procedure applicable to offenses falling under the organized crime regime referred to above.
Lor BEKKUO, prosecutor”
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
