French-Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, remains in French custody; media reports say authorities have extended his detention until Monday.
After a maximum of 96 hours of initial detention for questioning, a judge can either release the 39-year-old or press charges and keep him in custody.
Russia and Elon Musk led a barrage of questions, claims and demands for Durov's release, and French President Emmanuel Macron used the X network (formerly Twitter) to refute the unfounded speculation: “I saw false information about France after the arrest of Pavel Durov.”
“France,” Macron continued, “is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication,” adding: “The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place in the context of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision.”
Arrest warrant for serious crimes, including drugs and money laundering
Durov, who has a French arrest warrant, was taken into custody after his private jet from Azerbaijan landed at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday.
He is currently being investigated by a cybersecurity unit of the Gendarmerie and an anti-fraud unit of the National Police.
The French OFMIN, an agency for the prevention of violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov following a preliminary investigation. He is accused of fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promoting terrorism, among other things.
Durov is accused of failing to curb the criminal misuse of Telegram.
“Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is in line with industry standards,” the company said in response to such allegations.
“Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently throughout Europe,” said a statement released on Sunday. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”
Kremlin: “I don’t know what he is accused of”
The Russian embassy in Paris said it had requested access to Durov but had received no response from French officials. “The French side refuses to cooperate,” it said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said French authorities had been asked to provide consular access.
“The only problem is that Durov also has French citizenship,” Zakharova said. “Therefore, France will consider him first and foremost its citizen.”
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “We do not know specifically what Durov is accused of. We have not heard any official statement on this matter.”
“Before we say anything, we must wait until the situation becomes clearer. Without that clarity, a comment would be inappropriate,” he said.
Telegram: Russia's largest encrypted messaging service
Durov, who left Russia in 2014, was forced to abandon his first technology project, the Russian social network VKontakte (VK), after ownership issues arose, which he blamed on the Kremlin.
As his second project, Durov founded the Dubai-based encrypted messaging service Telegram in 2013 together with his brother Nikolai.
The company has tried to portray itself as a “neutral” and private alternative to US platforms, which are often criticized for their commercial exploitation of user data.
The political and military authorities in Russia and Ukraine rely heavily on Telegram to publish content and communicate.
Although Durov owns Russia's largest messaging and video platform, his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin is unclear.
js/wd (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
