•Macron says arrest not ‘political’
Telegram said yesterday that its Russian-born founder, Pavel Durov, who has been held by the French authorities since weekend, has nothing to hide.
Recall that Durov has been in custody for the second day of questioning over alleged offences related to the popular but controversial messaging app.
His arrest after flying into the Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday is the latest extraordinary twist in the career of one of the world’s most influential tech icons.
The detention of Durov, 39, was extended beyond Sunday night by the investigating magistrate who is handling the case, according to a source close to the investigation. This initial period of detention for questioning can last up to a maximum of 96 hours.
When this phase of detention ends, the judge can then decide to free Durov, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at $15.5 billion, or press charges and remand him in further custody.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied any political link to the arrest.
Writing on the X social media platform that he was addressing “false information” concerning the case, Macron said Durov’s arrest “took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation.”
“It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter,” he wrote in a highly unusual comment on a legal case.
Durov, 39, holds a French passport in addition to his Russian nationality.
Durov had arrived in Paris from Baku, Azerbaijan, and was planning to have dinner in the French capital, a source close to the case said.
He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a personal assistant who always accompanied him, added the source, asking not to be named.
France’s OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, another source said.
Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
Telegram said in response that “Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards,” it added.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”
Durov founded Telegram in 2013 after his first project, the Russian social network VKontakte (VK), ran into ownership difficulties he blamed on the Kremlin. He left Russia in 2014.
Vanguard
