Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

The announcement came on Saturday evening, Pavel Durov, CEO and founder of the social network Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport by the Air Transport Gendarmerie

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport by the Air Transport Gendarmerie. The Franco-Russian national is listed in the wanted persons file and is being investigated by the Minors' Office (OFMIN), a police service specializing in sexual violence against minors.

During his arrest, Durov was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman. He was placed in police custody and will likely be remanded in pre-trial detention, according to an investigator.

The investigation pertains to the use of Telegram by various criminal networks, without any action being taken to curb the phenomenon.

“On his platform, he allowed countless crimes and offenses to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate.”

After meeting with an investigating judge on Saturday evening, the indictment will be signed off. Given the nature of the platform, Durov could be charged with acts relating to terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, or even pedocriminal content.

According to one investigator, Telegram has become the “number 1 platform for organized crime” in recent years.

The TON ecosystem takes a hit

Being closely linked to Telegram, the arrest of Pavel Durov had an immediate impact on the TON ecosystem.

First, the TON token crashed and lost more than 14.5% between the writing and the time of the arrest. Thus, the token went from $6.82 to $5.8.

As for decentralized finance (DeFi) on the eponymous blockchain, it was not spared either. The toll is even heavier, with a drop in total value locked (TVL) of more than 40%, falling from $508 million to $304 million, according to data from DefiLlama.

Since an arrest warrant was issued against him in the country, Pavel Durov had avoided France and instead visited countries in South America, the former USSR, or the United Arab Emirates. On Saturday evening, he arrived on a flight from Azerbaijan.

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