A judge in France has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov (No. 8 on Forbes' 2024 list of Russia's 125 billionaires, worth $15.5 billion) with six offenses. Durov has been placed under judicial supervision in France, is prohibited from leaving the country, and will have to post bail of €5 million. Durov was detained on the evening of August 24 at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, where he arrived from Azerbaijan, after exiting a private jet, sources told French TF1, Le Parisien, and BFMTV. The detention period was then extended twice, with the final term of detention set to expire on the evening of August 28. Le Figaro previously reported that Durov had been taken to court, where he could be charged. The entire trial is expected to take place behind closed doors, Bloomberg reported. BFMTV later reported that the investigating judge had released Durov from custody to question him and possibly bring charges against him.
The Paris prosecutor's office said on August 26 that Durov had been questioned as part of an investigation into an unnamed person in connection with multiple cybercrimes.
