The developer of the encrypted messaging service EncroChat, accused of facilitating numerous criminal activities, has been charged and detained in France, sources close to the case revealed to AFP on Thursday.
Seiji Godo, a 39-year-old Canadian, had been living in Zug, Switzerland, with his family since 2019 and was extradited to France following a final decision by the Federal Tribunal on 7 March.
He was charged on 17 March by an investigating judge from Lille’s Interregional Specialised Jurisdiction (Jirs), near where EncroChat's servers were located. He was then incarcerated at La Santé prison in Paris. The Jirs focuses on combating organised crime and delinquency.
"Mr Godo contests the allegations against him. He will explain himself before the court, which he has never tried to evade," his lawyers, Thierry Marembert and Irina Kratz, stated.
Belgian police watches the entrance hall during an introductory session of a drug trial that started after the decryption of encryption softwares Encrochat and Sky ECC, before the Brussels Correctional Court, in Brussels, Friday 30 June 2023. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
They added, "He is hopeful that his explanations will clarify his role as a pure technician and clear up any ambiguity or misunderstanding."
According to one source close to the case, Godo was the technical director of EncroChat, described as a "geek" who created a highly secure technical product not intended for criminal use.
Another source noted that the technology, which seemed very innovative at the time, is now found in all iPhones.
In the French judicial investigation opened in May 2020, besides Godo, three Spanish distributors of EncroChat-enabled phones were charged in the summer of 2022, and Paul Krusky, reportedly the head of EncroChat, was charged in February 2024 after being extradited from the Dominican Republic.
Around ten people have been subject to international arrest warrants.
