By Andrea Hargraves 
French authorities are searching for Telegram's founders, Pavel and Nikolai Durov, with arrest warrants issued in March this year, much earlier than previously known.
This information was revealed by a French administrative document, obtained by Politico, which reveals details of a secret investigation into Telegram's role in child sexual abuse cases.
According to the document, the investigation into Telegram, conducted by the cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor's office, began months earlier than previously thought and was revealed this week.
The investigation focuses on Telegram’s refusal to cooperate with French authorities in a child sexual abuse investigation. In particular, the platform refused to identify a user involved in child pornography crimes, leading to arrest warrants being issued.
Pavel Durov was arrested last Saturday at Le Bourget airport in Paris after arriving on a private jet from Azerbaijan. The arrest came after French border services notified judicial authorities of their arrival. Durov’s arrest sparked a diplomatic crisis for the French government and a global warning about freedom of expression and the responsibility of social media platforms for the content their users share.
According to the now-known documents, the arrest warrants were issued on March 25, and the Durov brothers were accused of “complicity in the possession, distribution, display or making available of pornographic images of minors, in an organized group.” So far, French media have reported that the investigation began in July.
The investigation involved an undercover operation in which the suspect discussed luring minors into producing child pornography and threatened to share the material on social media. The suspect also admitted to raping a child, according to the document. Telegram did not respond to a request from French authorities to identify the suspect in question.
The document also highlights Telegram’s “almost non-existent cooperation” with French and European authorities on similar cases, and highlights the platform’s use “by numerous criminal groups” as justification for the arrest warrants against the Durov brothers. However, there is no evidence that the Durov brothers were directly involved in the illegal activities identified by the investigation.
Following the news of Pavel Durov's arrest, the price of the Toncoin cryptocurrency, developed by the brothers, fell sharply, registering a drop of about 20% from Saturday to Wednesday.
Pavel Durov’s lawyer declined to comment on the investigation. Ilya Perekopsky, Telegram’s vice president, is also mentioned in the case summary, though the document does not indicate whether an arrest warrant has been issued for him.
The French prosecutor’s office did not comment on the warrants against the Durov brothers, citing judicial secrecy, but confirmed that “the various crimes committed via Telegram, which justified the opening of an investigation by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office, include child pornography (among other things).” The prosecutor’s office also added that “at this stage, the only person to be questioned in this case is Pavel Durov.” The current location of Nikolai Durov is currently unknown.
Telegram responded to the arrest of its CEO on Sunday, rejecting any suggestion of wrongdoing and insisting that it complies with all EU laws. The company said that neither the platform nor its founder could be held responsible for misuse of the online service.
Pavel Durov, who was born in Russia, holds citizenship in Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis, according to the document now revealed by Politico. He founded Telegram in 2013, and the platform has since grown to nearly a billion users worldwide, becoming a key communications tool for political dissidents, military personnel and criminals. Telegram refuses, on principle, to remove posts that violate local restrictions on free speech or to disclose user data to any government.
The Kremlin, which has had a rocky relationship with Durov, warned France on Tuesday that it must have solid evidence against the Telegram chief. French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on Monday that the French government had no role in Durov’s arrest. Russian state media reported that Moscow planned to demand consular access to Durov.
For its part, the UAE diplomatic corps requested consular access to Durov, who normally resides in Dubai. However, Durov reportedly refused assistance from the UAE, according to a source close to the businessman.
“Any person of foreign nationality who is detained by the police has the right to contact the consular authorities of his country,” the Paris prosecutor's office said, without specifying whether Durov had made such a request.
Durov's interrogation has been extended to the maximum of 96 hours and will end on Wednesday, when the Telegram CEO could be charged or released.
Remember, Durov's arrest has drawn criticism from free speech advocates around the world, including billionaire Elon Musk.