Telegram boss admits 'seriousness' of French allegations: sourceBy Guillaume DAUDINParis (AFP) Jan 18, 2025Telegram founder Pavel Durov has told investigating magistrates in France, where he is charged with multiple infractions linked to enabling organised crime, that he "realised the seriousness of all the allegations", according to a source close to the case.
Extracts from Durov's questioning in December through an interpreter after his August arrest, seen by AFP, show that he initially blamed French authorities for failing to alert Telegram to alleged criminal activity.
"My location and my personal Telegram account were known to the French authorities" including "the president's office and the French consul in Dubai", Durov said, also mentioning "an agent with the DGSI", France's domestic intelligence service.
"Its growing popularity, the overall increase in the number of our users, meant that the number using Telegram for criminal purposes also increased," added the Saint Petersburg-born billionaire.
But Durov told investigators that it was labouring under a $2 billion load of debt.