Pavel Durov, CEO of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged in France and is required to stay in the country while awaiting trial.
The charges, based on a French court ruling, accuse Durov of several offenses, including indirectly disseminating obscene content, aiding criminal activities, and facilitating the sale of illegal substances due to insufficient management and oversight on the Telegram platform.
Durov, 39, who holds Russian, French, and UAE citizenships, has been granted bail under the condition that he posts a 5 million euro bond. Additionally, he is forbidden from leaving France and must check in with the police twice a week.
According to Coin68, Durov was unexpectedly detained by French authorities on August 25 while arriving in Paris on a private jet.
Many influential figures within the global tech and cryptocurrency sectors have criticized France’s actions, suggesting that Durov's arrest is politically motivated, despite French President Emmanuel Macron's denials.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acknowledged the situation and is preparing to take measures to safeguard Durov’s rights as a UAE citizen.
In a related incident, the TON blockchain network, associated with Telegram, suffered an outage on the night of August 28, during which no new blocks were generated for several hours. The issue was eventually resolved around 06:30 AM on August 29.
This incident, similar to a 7-hour blockchain halt on the morning of August 28, was reportedly triggered by the minting of the memecoin DOGS.
Following news of Durov’s charges and the second TON blockchain outage, the price of TON has experienced significant volatility over the past 12 hours. However, the price is showing signs of stabilization and recovery after a 20% drop on August 25.
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