Telegram founder Pavel Durov to appear in French court to face possible charges

Durov was arrested late Saturday night at Le Bourget airport outside Paris. – AFP photo

PARIS (Aug 28): Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was scheduled to appear in French court today to face possible charges over failing to tackle extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app following his arrest over the weekend.

Durov, 39, who was born in Russia, was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.

After nearly four days of questioning in custody by French investigators, he was handed over to judicial authorities, who will decide on further action, a source close to the case told AFP.

An investigating judge in Paris 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.

As part of an investigation opened confidentially on July 8, Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 violations related to failing to combat extremist and criminal content on Telegram, sources close to the investigation said.

The tech mogul founded Telegram as he was in the process of leaving his native Russia a decade ago. Its growth has been exponential, with the app now reporting more than 900 million users.

Durov is an enigmatic figure who rarely speaks in public. He is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based.

Forbes magazine estimates his current net worth at $15.5 billion, although he proudly promotes the virtues of an ascetic life, including ice baths and not drinking alcohol or coffee.

There have been numerous questions about the timing and circumstances of Durov’s arrest. Supporters see him as a champion of freedom of speech, while opponents see him as a threat who deliberately allowed Telegram to spiral out of control.

The newspaper Le Monde reported today that Durov had already met French President Emmanuel Macron several times before he was granted French nationality in 2021. The meeting took place through a special procedure reserved for people who have made a special contribution to France.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Macron, who along with his team has been an avid user of Telegram in the past, had suggested during a lunch in 2018 that the headquarters should be located in Paris, but Durov declined.

According to the weekly Canard Enchaine, Durov claimed at the time of his arrest that he was in Paris to dine with Macron, which the Élysée denied.

‘Not political in any way’

In a post on X responding to what he called “false information” regarding the case, Macron said Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” and that it was “up to the judges to judge.”

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the allegations were very serious and therefore “no less serious evidence” was needed.

“Otherwise, this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication and, I might even say, directly intimidate the director of a large company,” he said.

The UAE meanwhile said it was “closely monitoring” the case and had requested consular access for him.

Among those expressing support for Durov is tech magnate and X CEO Elon Musk, who posted comments under the hashtag #FreePavel.

Durov left Russia a decade ago while he was in the process of founding Telegram, amid an ownership dispute over his first project, the Russian social network VKontakte.

But his departure from Russia was reportedly not an abrupt exile: according to the news site Vazhnye Istorii, which relied on leaked border data, he visited the country more than 50 times between 2015 and 2021.

‘Nothing to hide’

Durov, who has lived in Dubai in recent years, arrived in Paris from the Azerbaijani capital Baku and planned to dine in the French capital, a source close to the matter said.

France’s OFMIN, an agency charged with preventing violence against minors, has issued an arrest warrant for Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged crimes including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promoting terrorism.

Telegram responded with the following: “Durov has nothing to hide and travels regularly around Europe”.

Telegram positions itself as a “neutral” alternative to US platforms, which have been criticized for their commercial exploitation of users’ personal data.

It has also played an important role since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been actively used by politicians and commentators on both sides of the war.

But critics accuse the site of often hosting illegal content, ranging from extreme sexual images to disinformation and drug services. – AFP