Arrest warrants for Telegram Messenger Inc. CEO Pavel Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai were issued by French authorities on March 25, Politico reported on Wednesday citing a French administrative document it obtained.
According to the media outlet, the document shows that the undercover probe commenced much earlier than it was known. In the document, it was stated that the social media platform provided "no answer" when asked to identify a Telegram user. Furthermore, it was written that Telegram's cooperation with French and European authorities in multiple cases was "almost non-existent."
Durov was charged with 12 criminal counts, including being complicit in storing and distributing child pornography, enabling drug trafficking, and facilitating organized fraud.
