Latest developments on the arrest of the Telegram founder: placed under "house arrest" in France, could face up to 10 years in prison

Author: Fu Ruo, Odaily Planet Daily

In the past 24 hours, there has been new progress in the case of the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

At 9 PM Beijing time last night, Pavel Durov was taken from the previously detained anti-fraud office by French police to the court, awaiting the court's charges; ultimately, the court prosecuted Pavel Durov around 3:30 AM Beijing time today. Pavel is required to provide a bail of 5 million euros (approximately 5.44 million USD), report to the police station twice a week, and is prohibited from leaving French territory. Once these conditions are met, Pavel Durov can be released under judicial supervision.

Odaily Planet Daily has analyzed the impact of the latest developments in Pavel Durov's arrest on the TON ecosystem market.

The Arrest of the Founder Sparks Public Outcry, TON Ecosystem Market Experiences Volatility

Throughout the development of the event, different time points significantly influenced the market trends of TON ecosystem tokens last night. Especially during the time when Pavel Durov was taken to court by the French police from the previously detained anti-fraud office, tokens such as TON, NOT, and DOGS experienced significant fluctuations. The market trend of Toncoin is shown in the figure below:

First Wave of Market Fluctuation: Influenced by Pavel Durov being taken to court.

At 9:00 PM yesterday, according to Cointelegraph, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was transported by car from the anti-fraud office where he was detained to the Paris court.

Upon the news, the Toncoin market declined, marked at position 1 in the Toncoin price chart, with a drop of 3%, bringing the price down to 5.3 USDT. This decline can be understood as investors made small-scale sell-offs in anticipation of Pavel Durov facing court charges.

Second Wave of Market Fluctuation: Influenced by the "false news" that Pavel Durov was released from the police station, leading the public to mistakenly believe he had gained freedom.

It was initially thought that the outcome of Pavel Durov's court charges would need to be awaited, but unexpectedly, social media platforms, especially X, were flooded with news of Pavel Durov's release. Users expressed their joy over his supposed release almost every minute, and many crypto projects also published statements.

Meanwhile, the TON ecosystem market also saw a rapid rebound. As shown at position 2 in the Toncoin price chart, the market surged rapidly, with an increase of over 12.8% in a short time, peaking at 5.991 USDT. Other related tokens like NOT and DOGS also saw significant rebounds, with increases exceeding 10%.

Subsequently, many media outlets and well-known figures debunked the rumors online, clarifying that Pavel Durov was sent to court because the final deadline for his detention had arrived, and thus, "release" only meant he was released from the police station, not that he had gained freedom. Social media users uncovered that the false news originated from a user named "what the media hides."

However, from another perspective, this was not entirely false news; Pavel Durov was indeed released from the police station, just taken to court by the police.

The market then continued to decline, with a drop of 10%, bringing Toncoin down to 5.37 USDT, and other TON ecosystem tokens also fell by over 10%.

Third Wave of Market Fluctuation: Influenced by Pavel Durov being prosecuted and restricted from leaving the country.

According to previous disclosures from media outlets like AFP and RIA Novosti, the court needed to file charges against Pavel Durov before 2 AM Beijing time on the 29th. However, it wasn't until 3:30 AM that the Paris court disclosed relevant information, presenting eight criminal charges against the Telegram founder. To be released under judicial supervision, Pavel Durov must provide a bail of 5 million euros (approximately 5.44 million USD), report to the police station twice a week, and is prohibited from leaving French territory.

As a result of this news, as indicated at position 3 in the price chart, the price of Toncoin rapidly decreased to 5.12 USDT, with a drop of 9.6% during this phase, before rebounding to 5.437 USDT.

In previous articles, TON ecosystem-related projects stated that Pavel Durov's arrest would not affect their normal operations. However, market trends do not "lie," and last night's false news incident clearly demonstrated Pavel Durov's importance to the TON ecosystem.

The Founder’s Arrest Sparks Heated Discussions Online: Whose Interests Has Telegram Violated?

As a global instant messaging software with 1 billion active users, the arrest of its founder has far-reaching implications across various industries and user groups.

Telegram is known for its strong encryption and resistance to censorship, making it a core platform for many groups advocating for freedom of speech, often used in anti-authoritarian protests worldwide. With its anonymity, flexible group features, and ability to operate normally even under internet restrictions, Telegram has become a key tool for various organizations and mobilizing protests.

As a result, many supporters of Pavel Durov, referred to as "freedom fighters," and well-known figures in the crypto industry have updated their avatars to the Resistance Dog logo, which was hand-drawn and named by Telegram's founder in 2018, to express their solidarity with Pavel Durov.

In addition to its prominent role in grassroots movements, Telegram has also become an important channel for intelligence agencies in various countries to disseminate information and interests.

Today, well-known media personality, political commentator, and writer Tucker Carlson released an interview video with former U.S. State Department cyber official Mike Benz, in which they discussed the real reasons behind Pavel Durov's arrest. Mike Benz stated, "Telegram has always been an important channel for intelligence agencies to gather information, with countries funding it tens of billions of dollars each year."

When discussing the real reasons for Durov's arrest, Mike Benz believes, "After being sanctioned, Russia has been using Telegram to monitor Ukraine, while also using Telegram as a tool for controlling external speech, such as in the Middle East and Africa, where Telegram's role is evident."

In the 48 hours following Pavel Durov's arrest, Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire published a short article on X titled "The World is Underestimating the Significance of the Pavel Durov Arrest," mentioning Durov's previous experiences with sanctions in Russia and stating that restricting Telegram is an unjust act, as Western countries, known for their commitment to freedom of speech, are gradually moving towards dictatorship.

Additionally, after Pavel Durov's arrest, notable figures such as Elon Musk and officials from the U.S. and Russia expressed their views, with detailed content compiled in "The Aftermath of the Arrest of Telegram's Founder: U.S.-Russia Tensions, Industry Support, Buying Coins to Make a Statement, and Public Movements," which readers can refer to.

Will Pavel Durov Regain His Freedom? The Future Remains Uncertain

Although Pavel Durov was released due to the expiration of France's maximum detention period, he has not truly gained freedom. The court has charged Pavel Durov with up to eight counts: conspiracy to operate an illegal online trading platform, including organized crime; refusal to provide data required for lawful interception by authorities; conspiracy to provide software or data to attack automated data processing systems; dissemination of materials exploiting children and involvement in organized drug trafficking; fraud and conspiracy to commit crimes or misdemeanors; money laundering related to organized crime; providing confidentiality password services without proper declaration; and importing passwords that only guarantee authentication or integrity checks.

Moreover, Durov must be released under judicial supervision, with conditions including a bail of up to 5 million euros, reporting to the police station twice a week, and restrictions on leaving France. All of this indicates that Pavel Durov is effectively under "house arrest" in France.

Well-known KOL on X, Mario Nawfal, stated that based on the court charges, Pavel Durov could face a maximum sentence of 10 years.

At the same time, according to the U.S. political news site Politico, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov's brother and co-founder Nikolai is also wanted by French authorities. However, Russian media reported that the prosecutor's office disclosed that the case against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is unrelated to the arrest warrant for his brother Nikolai.

Regardless of whether the two cases are related, as mentioned above, the essence is that the existence of Telegram threatens the interests of relevant countries, leading to judicial control over its leaders.

Additionally, apart from facing charges from the French government, Pavel Durov is also under investigation by Swiss authorities due to a criminal complaint from his former partner Irina Bolgar, which involves allegations of physical violence against their child, along with multiple civil lawsuits.

However, the case between Pavel Durov and his former partner Irina Bolgar has been ongoing for a long time, and it has only recently come to public attention following Durov's arrest in France.

Therefore, under the influence of various information, although Pavel Durov was briefly released, he faces a lengthy court ruling ahead, involving multiple interests entangled, and maintaining the status quo may be the best choice.

Odaily Planet Daily will continue to follow the latest developments in the Pavel Durov case.