The legal turmoil of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, in France

Recently, Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the social media platform "Telegram," has attracted widespread attention in France. After being sued in France, he was released on bail but is not allowed to leave the country.

On the evening of August 24 local time, Durov arrived in France on a private plane from Azerbaijan and was arrested at Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of Paris. His detention period lasted up to 96 hours. The Paris prosecutor's office began a judicial investigation on July 8 that included 12 charges and was not targeted at specific individuals. Durov was arrested for this reason.

On the evening of August 28, after the end of his detention, Durov was transferred to the court and was formally charged by the Paris prosecutor's office on six counts including money laundering and illegal transactions using online platforms. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to 500,000 euros. However, Telegram refuted these accusations, saying that Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, and hopes that this incident can be resolved as soon as possible.

Although Durov is currently released on bail under judicial supervision, the conditions are very strict. He must pay a bail of 5 million euros, report to the police station twice a week, and is prohibited from leaving French territory.

Durov was born in Russia. He is 39 years old and holds multiple nationalities including Russian, French, and Emirati. He and his brother Nikolai founded Telegram in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2013. Now the headquarters is located in Dubai. Telegram currently has about 900 million users. It is one of the main social media platforms used in the Russian-speaking region and also an important platform for both Russia and Ukraine to express their views during the Ukraine crisis.

Regarding Durov's arrest, the Russian side has asked the French side to explain the reason for the arrest, but the French side refused to communicate on the grounds that Durov holds French nationality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates issued a statement closely following the arrest of its citizen Durov and has asked the French government to provide all necessary consular services. In addition, this incident has also triggered many discussions and speculations in the international community, and its subsequent development trend is closely watched by all parties.