Belgian investigation into Telegram messaging app

Belgian federal prosecutors have been spent four years investigating messaging app Telegram - an investigation that until now was not public knowledge.

Belgian investigators have now announced that they will collaborate with their French counterparts following the arrest of Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov in August at a Paris airport.

The collaboration follows the creation of a joint investigation team (JIT) with French judicial authorities. The two countries will share their results and conduct joint actions via this team.

Durov is currently under investigation in France. French prosecutors have accused him of failing to prevent his app, which has about 950 million users, from being used for criminal communications.

For Durov, the fact that you cannot intercept conversations or intervene at all is essential “as I pay attention to freedom of expression”.

Prosecutors say that Telegram, used by the military and the first source of information in Russia and Ukraine, possesses vital information on drugs trafficking and terrorists.

Durov’s prosecutors said the Telegram creator wants to let information circulate and does not cooperate with law enforcement bodies.

Belgium’s federal prosecutor said the formation of this JIT is timely, said spokesperson Eric Vandersypt, who is also federal magistrate for the justice ministry.

“In almost every investigation into arms trafficking, for example, suspects use Telegram,” he said.

Telegram, created in August 2013 by Pavel and his brother Nikolai and based in Dubai, is described on its website as “a cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a focus on security and speed”.

Billed as “so simple, you already know how to use it,” and “delivering messages faster than any other application”, the app lets you access chats from multiple devices.

Unlike WhatsApp, it has no limits on the size of media and chats and Telegram groups can hold up to 200,000 members.

The Belgian investigation into Telegram began in 2020.