This document does not imply that the Durov brothers were directly involved in child crimes.
When contacted, a lawyer representing Pavel Durov declined to comment. The Durov brothers are presumed innocent.
In addition to the Durov brothers, Telegram vice president Ilya Perekopsky is also mentioned in the document, although it is not specified whether he is a target of the warrant.
Contacted by POLITICO, the prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the search warrant for the Durov brothers, citing the confidentiality of the investigation. However, prosecutors said that “among the various crimes committed using Telegram, there is also a child pornography crime that has justified the opening of a global investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office’s cybercrime unit.” (crime)
The preliminary proceedings, which ended on July 8, were transferred to a judicial investigation decided by the Paris Court of Justice. It concerns 12 crimes related to organized crime. Pavel Durov was taken into custody and transferred to the court on Wednesday.
According to the official Telegram page, Pavel Durov, who left Russia 10 years ago and later lived in Dubai before creating Telegram, holds French and Emirati citizenship. However, according to the same internal document, he will also enjoy Russian citizenship along with the citizenship of the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Since his arrest, diplomats from the United Arab Emirates and Russia have been active in seeking consular access to Pavel Durov. “Every foreign national in police custody has the right to contact the consular office of that country. Once this request is made, it must be approved,” the Paris prosecutor’s office said, without specifying whether Mr. Durov had made such a request.
