Belgium, France form joint investigation team on Telegram

Belgian intelligence intends to collaborate with the French justice system on the Telegram case.

To facilitate this, a "joint investigation team" will be established, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This new cooperative framework will enable the two countries to effectively share data and conduct joint investigative actions.

Among other efforts, Belgium and France plan to work together to apprehend criminals using the messenger who have sought refuge in other countries.

Brussels noted that it began investigating the platform back in 2020 when it became evident that Telegram was involved in numerous cases related to arms trafficking. Subsequent investigations confirmed the intelligence services' suspicions.

The decision to collaborate with France was influenced by the recent arrest of Durov, which served as a signal that it was time to address the "Wild West of the Internet."

In late August, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was arrested in France. He was accused of failing to moderate the service and cooperate with investigations. Read more details in the report.

Durov was later released on bail of 5 million euros and is prohibited from leaving France until the investigation is complete.

Ukrainian officials said that Durov's arrest did not imply a restriction on Telegram. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, labelled Telegram as a threat to national security, citing specific reasons.

By Vafa Guliyeva