Pavel Durov sat across from French investigators for the fourth time on or around July 9, 2026, for a session that reportedly stretched over six hours. The Telegram co-founder has now been in the crosshairs of French law enforcement for nearly two years, and the probe shows no signs of wrapping up quietly.

The investigation centers on allegations that Telegram’s platform facilitated illegal activity, a charge that has dogged Durov since his arrest at Le Bourget Airport on August 24, 2024. That arrest sent shockwaves through the crypto world, given Telegram’s deep ties to The Open Network, or TON, the blockchain that grew from inside the app’s ecosystem.

How we got here

French authorities formally opened the investigation in July 2024, initially charging Durov with complicity in organized crime, among other allegations. He was released after posting €5 million bail and placed under judicial supervision, including a full travel ban that restricted his movement for over a year.

That travel ban was lifted in November 2025, a piece of news that the market greeted warmly. TON’s price jumped between 20% and 29% following updates tied to positive developments in Durov’s legal status, a clear signal that traders treat the case as a direct proxy for Telegram’s operational health.

The travel restrictions have since been partially replaced by reporting requirements, meaning Durov remains under court oversight even as he regains some freedom of movement.

Why Telegram’s legal troubles are a crypto story

TON was originally conceived inside Telegram before being handed off to an independent foundation after the SEC forced Telegram to abandon its initial token offering in 2020. Despite that separation on paper, the two remain commercially and culturally linked. Telegram integrated TON’s wallet functionality directly into the app, giving the blockchain a distribution channel of hundreds of millions of users that almost no other layer-one network can match.

The core legal question in France is not about crypto directly. It is about whether a platform operator can be held criminally liable for content and transactions that flow through their service. But the answer to that question has enormous downstream consequences for how encrypted platforms with crypto rails can operate in Europe.

What investors should watch

The TON token’s price history during this investigation reads like a sentiment chart for Durov’s legal fortunes. The 20-29% price swing following positive travel ban news in 2025 illustrates just how reactive the market is to developments in this case.

The fourth questioning session produced no immediate market-moving headlines. Markets had already absorbed the reality that this investigation would take time, and another interrogation session without a dramatic outcome was treated as background noise rather than a catalyst.