This legal action may lead other tech executives to reconsider their European engagements.
Durov, originally from Russia, is charged with failing to prevent the spread of illegal content on Telegram, including illicit transactions and child exploitation images. The platform, which has more than 900 million users, is at the centre of this case.
French legal experts have noted that it is unusual for an individual to be held criminally responsible for the actions of users on a tech platform.
"In the context of the implementation of this text, the Digital Services Act must really serve as a wake-up call for technology companies providing this type of service, so that they really understand that from now on, there will be less and less tolerance for illegal activities and illegal content online." Florence G'sell, visiting professor at Stanford told AFP.