Telegram on Sunday questioned the basis for France’s arrest of its CEO Pavel Durov, the billionaire co-founder of the messaging app, who was detained at a Paris airport over the weekend.
Durov, 39, was detained in Le Bourget on Saturday on suspicion of failing to take measures to prevent crimes using Telegram, according to Agence France-Presse. His initial detention was extended by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official said.
Telegram has issued a statement on its platform and on X, formerly known as TwitterDubai-based company said comply with European lawincluding the Digital Services Act and that Durov had “nothing to hide”.
“It is absurd to suggest that a platform or its owners should be held responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the statement said. “We look forward to a swift resolution to this situation.”
Durov lives in Dubai and is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Telegram website. He has not previously commented on whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship.
The Russian Embassy in Paris said it had asked “the French authorities to explain the reasons and asked them to ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access.” Embassy officials are in contact with Durov’s lawyer, the statement said.
France’s Ofmin, an agency set up to combat violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, AFP reported. Ofmin is the coordinating agency in the preliminary investigation into alleged crimes such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promoting terrorism, AFP reported.
Toncoin, a cryptocurrency link for Telegram, which fell as much as 23% on news of Durov’s detention.
Telegram was created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician. Telegram has about 900 million active users and is one of the most popular messaging apps. Its relatively lenient approach to content moderation has led to accusations that it is often used for criminal activity and extremist material.
The Durov brothers made their fortune creating the Russia-based social network VKontakte in 2006. The platform quickly became popular among Russians, making it the target of a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin.
Durov fled the country in 2014 and sold his shares in VKontakte. He has a net worth of more than $9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In an interview with former fox In April, Durov discussed the pressure he faced from Russian authorities while running VKontakte and the close scrutiny of Telegram by law enforcement agencies around the world on news show Tucker Carlson.
“I want to be free, I don’t want to take orders from anyone,” Durov said in the interview.
