Telegram billionaire Pavel Durov released from custody in France but faces court after arrest in Paris

Telegram magnate Pavel Durov has been released from police custody ahead of his court appearance, after he was questioned for four days over allegations that his platform is being used for illegal activities.

The 39-year-old billionaire is due in court this afternoon to answer possible charges over failing to tackle extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app following his arrest over the weekend.

The Russian-born tech executive was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial investigation opened last month into 12 alleged offences.

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office said: “An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s detention and will bring him before a judge for a first appearance and possible charges.”

Other allegations against Durov, who is a French national, include using his platform for child abuse material and drug trafficking, fraud and complicity in organized crime transactions. Telegram is also said to have refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

A general view of the building of the Office National Antifraude (ONAF), or National Anti-Fraud Bureau, in Ivry-sur-Seine, south of Paris, where Pavel Durov was held

Telegram founder was held for 96 hours – the maximum time a person can be held under French law

An investigating judge will decide whether to bring charges against Durov. The judiciary will then decide whether to remand him in custody or release him, possibly under judicial supervision with restrictions on his freedom of movement.

Video footage shows two police cars with flashing lights leaving the anti-fraud office outside Paris this afternoon. There are reports that Durov may have been in one of the cars.

The Telegram founder had already been held for 96 hours, the maximum time someone can be held under French law before being charged.

In a rare intervention by a French leader in legal affairs, President Macron said on Monday that the decision to charge Durov was “in no way political”.

His arrest sparked a conflict between Paris and Moscow, which demanded consular access to their former citizen, Russian media reported.

The Kremlin said Tuesday that France’s accusations against Durov were “very serious” and warned that they would be seen in Russia as an attempt to restrict freedom of communication unless they were supported by significant evidence.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Macron was concerned and said his country’s relationship with France is at the ‘lowest level’.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hopes Durov will be provided with “all necessary opportunities for his legal defense,” adding that Moscow “stands ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen.

“But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a French citizen,” Peskov said.

In addition to France, Durov also holds the nationality of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was “closely following” the case and had asked France to “urgently provide all necessary consular services” to Durov.

Durov founded Telegram in 2013, together with his brother Nikolai. According to him, the idea arose because there were no secure communication options in Russia.

Since then, it has amassed over 950 million users, making it one of the largest social media platforms in the world after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

In 2013, Duvrov sold his stake in VKontakte, a social media site he also founded and known as the Russian Facebook.

A very different-looking Durov in his twenties. He founded VK, often called the ‘Facebook of Russia’, when he left university at the age of 21.

The company came under pressure when the Russian government took measures following the massive pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.

Durov said authorities demanded that the site shut down online communities of Russian opposition activists. They later demanded that the site hand over personal data of users who participated in the 2013-2014 uprising in Ukraine that ultimately led to the ouster of a pro-Kremlin president.

Durov said in a recent interview that he had rejected these demands and left the country.

The protests prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital world. Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered Russians a convenient way to communicate and share news.

Telegram is still a popular news source in Ukraine, too. Both media and officials use it to share information about the war and to issue warnings about missiles and airstrikes.

Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial investigation opened last month into 12 alleged criminal offences

Western governments have often criticized Telegram for its lack of content moderation, which experts say could allow the messaging app to be used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing material related to the sexual exploitation of minors.

Telegram said in a statement on its platform following Durov’s arrest that it complies with EU law and that its moderation “falls within industry standards and is continuously improving.”

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the Telegram post read.

‘Nearly one billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of important information.

“We are waiting for a quick resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”