Commenting on the cooperation with “Telegram” so far, the police stated that the cooperation is difficult not only with the law enforcement authorities of Latvia, but also of other European countries.
In Latvia, offenders often purposefully choose the “Telegram” app for planning and organizing criminal activities, as well as for the sale of illegal substances and services, the police informed.
It has already been reported that at the end of August, Pavels Durov, the founder and head of “Telegram”, was detained at the Le Bourget airport in Paris. Durov was later released on bail of five million euros.
Durov is charged with conspiring to operate an online platform that enables illegal transactions in an organized group.
He is accused of refusing to provide the information requested by the authorities, of participating in the distribution of hacker software, of distributing pornographic images of minors in an organized group, of distributing drugs and participating in fraud in an organized group, as well as of money laundering.
Durov has also been accused of providing cryptographic services with the aim of ensuring confidentiality without mandatory declaration and illegal provision and import of cryptographic means.
If convicted, Durov faces ten years in prison.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has indicated that “Telegram” does not actually respond to court requests, which was also pointed out by representatives of other European Union countries, such as Belgium.
The prosecutor’s office started the preliminary investigation in the Durov case in February 2024, and the court investigation began on July 8.
2024-09-03 12:33:36