Another day in court, still no evidence @durov, founder of @telegram, was interrogated by French investigators for over six hours as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, marking his fou
@durov, founder of @telegram, was interrogated by French investigators for over six hours as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, marking his fourth such session since the probe began. For Durov, this is the fourth conversation with French investigators in the framework of the criminal case initiated against him in the summer of 2024.
French prosecutors accuse him of failing to adequately moderate content and of not cooperating sufficiently with law enforcement, arguing that this made him complicit in crimes including the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud.He faces charges including complicity in the administration of an online platform for the benefit of an organized criminal group.
"Nearly two years after Pavel Durov was formally charged, there is still no evidence to support these accusations," three of his lawyers told AFP following the questioning.The defence has also filed complaints with French and European judicial authorities.
Durov faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros.Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed in May 2026 that the investigation remains ongoing and that Durov continues to be under judicial control, though French authorities had earlier removed restrictions on his movements in November 2025.
The case has cast a long shadow over The Open Network and its native token $TON. Durov's arrest sparked a crisis for the TON blockchain, a project originally incubated by Telegram and later handed to the open-source community under TON Foundation.When news of the arrest first went public in 2024, Toncoin lost $2.4 billion of its market value within 48 hours, with the price slumping by over 20%. The token showed little reaction to this latest round of questioning, however, a sign that markets have largely priced in the prolonged legal uncertainty.
The broader question the case keeps raising is one that regulators and platform operators across the world are wrestling with: where does an operator's liability end when users abuse a service? Telegram has called it "absurd" to hold Durov responsible for criminal activities that occur on the platform, arguing that its moderation practices are "within industry standards and constantly improving."The case has attracted significant international attention, sparking a growing debate about the balance between protecting user privacy and the necessity of combating cybercrime.
With no trial date set and the investigation approaching its second year, the standoff between one of the world's most widely used messaging platforms and French justice shows no sign of resolution.
Sources:News.az: Telegram founder Durov questioned again in Paris probeCryptoNews: Telegram's Privacy Battle With France Stalls, Leaving TON in LimboFortune: TON surges as Telegram founder Pavel Durov permitted to leave France
