French prosecutors are to charge the founder of Telegram under a tough new law

French prosecutors will charge Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with allowing illegal products or activities to be distributed on Telegram under a tough new law.

The new law, known as the LOPMI law, was enacted in January 2023 and makes France one of the countries taking tougher measures against criminal websites.

However, since the LOPMI law was enacted only a short time ago, no one has been convicted under this law.

In August, a French judge placed Durov under formal investigation on a number of charges, including the 2023 crime of "conspiring with an online platform he helped manage to allow an organized group to conduct illegal transactions on the platform," which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros.

Being formally placed under investigation does not mean that Durov is guilty or necessarily leads to a trial, but it suggests that judges believe there is enough evidence to continue investigating him, which could last several years, before opening a trial or dropping the charges.

Durov, who holds multiple nationalities from Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, is currently out on bail. He denied that Telegram was an "anarchic paradise."

Telegram said in a statement that it "complies with EU law" and that "it is absurd to claim that Telegram or its owners are responsible for the misuse of the platform."