Pavel Durov, the chief executive officer of Telegram, who was detained in France over the weekend now faces up to a decade in jail if convicted of charges brought against him for complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes including drug trafficking on the messaging app.

Paris prosecutors have framed the charges as one in which it contends that the platform has been almost entirely uncooperative with authorities and includes allegations that Durov has refused to help agencies run legal wiretaps on suspects.

Also, he faces charges of enabling organised criminals to carry out unlawful transactions on the platform, according to Bloomberg.

Prosecutors on Wednesday ordered Durov to post €5 million (A$8.2 million) in bail, and he is barred from leaving France. A criminal trial — if ordered — may be several months or even years away.

The 39-year-old billionaire is a Russian citizen, but is also reported to hold citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram

Based out of Dubai, he was stopped at Le Bourget airport north of Paris on Saturday after disembarking from a private jet and placed in police custody for questioning for four days.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that while Telegram appeared in numerous cases focusing on crimes on minors, drug trafficking or online hate, her teams noted the platform’s “near complete” lack of response to legal requests for cooperation. Authorities in countries such as Belgium are believed to have reported similar grievances too.

“That’s what led JUNALCO to open an investigation into the possible criminal responsibility of the messaging app’s executives in the commission of these offences,” Beccuau said, referring to her unit focusing on organised crime.

Telegram on Sunday said that Durov has “nothing to hide” and that the app abides by European laws.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the statement declared. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”

Telegram which is a popular app in countries such as Russia and Ukraine as well as those in the former Soviet Union states, is reported to have around 900 million monthly active users.