Pavel Durov Has Been Charged and Must Remain in France
Pavel Durov has been accused of participating in organized criminal activities, money laundering, and refusing to provide data upon the authorities' request. This information was disclosed in a press release from the French prosecutor's office, obtained by "Novaya Gazeta Europe".
As a result of these charges, Durov is now under judicial supervision: he is prohibited from leaving France and must post a bail of 5 million euros. He will be released on bail but will be required to report to a police station in person twice a week.
The list of charges includes six crimes: • Conspiracy to manage an online platform used for illegal transactions as part of an organized group; • Refusal to provide information or documents requested by authorized bodies necessary for lawful wiretapping; • Complicity in crimes by allowing Telegram access to users involved in distributing child pornography, trafficking drugs, fraud, and other criminal activities; • Money laundering resulting from crimes or offenses as part of an organized group; • Providing cryptographic services without proper declaration; • Importing cryptographic tools to ensure confidentiality without prior declaration.
Pavel Durov Has Been Charged and Must Remain in France
Pavel Durov has been accused of participating in organized criminal activities, money laundering, and refusing to provide data upon the authorities' request. This information was disclosed in a press release from the French prosecutor's office, obtained by "Novaya Gazeta Europe".
As a result of these charges, Durov is now under judicial supervision: he is prohibited from leaving France and must post a bail of 5 million euros. He will be released on bail but will be required to report to a police station in person twice a week.
The list of charges includes six crimes: • Conspiracy to manage an online platform used for illegal transactions as part of an organized group; • Refusal to provide information or documents requested by authorized bodies necessary for lawful wiretapping; • Complicity in crimes by allowing Telegram access to users involved in distributing child pornography, trafficking drugs, fraud, and other criminal activities; • Money laundering resulting from crimes or offenses as part of an organized group; • Providing cryptographic services without proper declaration; • Importing cryptographic tools to ensure confidentiality without prior declaration.
Perpetrators of these scams will create a public group on Telegram to promote these investment packages that are usually accompanied by fake testimonies and sometimes advertised as being Shariah-compliant. Interested investors will be asked to directly message the representatives to begin investing in the various investment packages offered. Additionally, investors are often instructed to deposit monies into personal bank accounts of individuals who claim to represent a legitimate entity, and/or into an unrelated corporate account. To lend credence and to lure unsuspecting victims, perpetrators usually claim that their entity and/or the investment schemes are approved by financial authorities. Since January 2022, the SC has received a total of 47 complaints and enquiries on illegal investment schemes promoted through Telegram. These fraudulent schemes offer non-existent investment opportunities, promising very attractive and risk-free returns within a short span of time. They commonly offer unrealistic returns of as high as 1,000% within 24 hours or even within a few hours. As the war in Ukraine rages, the messaging app Telegram has emerged as the go-to place for unfiltered live war updates for both Ukrainian refugees and increasingly isolated Russians alike. Pavel Durov, a billionaire who embraces an all-black wardrobe and is often compared to the character Neo from "the Matrix," funds Telegram through his personal wealth and debt financing. And despite being one of the world's most popular tech companies, Telegram reportedly has only about 30 employees who defer to Durov for most major decisions about the platform.
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