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French President Macron on Monday said that founder of messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov was taken into custody in France as part of an ongoing judicial investigation and that there was no political motive.
The French President’s statement on the social media platform X served as the first official confirmation of Durov’s detention, which occurred nearly two days after he was apprehended at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.Durov had just arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan when he was detained.
Due to the absence of an official confirmation, speculation had arisen concerning the reasons for Durov’s arrest. Macron, sharing a post on X said, “I have seen false information here regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.”
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil 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 on X.
The founder of Telegram, is currently being investigated by national authorities for alleged lack of cooperation in cyber and financial crime investigations on the platform, a police told Reuters.
Durov, often dubbed “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg,” was born in Russia and holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates.
The 39-year-old billionaire estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, stated in April that while some governments have tried to pressure him, the app should remain a neutral platform and not become a “player in geopolitics.”
(With input from agencies)
The French President’s statement on the social media platform X served as the first official confirmation of Durov’s detention, which occurred nearly two days after he was apprehended at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.Durov had just arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan when he was detained.
Due to the absence of an official confirmation, speculation had arisen concerning the reasons for Durov’s arrest. Macron, sharing a post on X said, “I have seen false information here regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.”
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil 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 on X.
The founder of Telegram, is currently being investigated by national authorities for alleged lack of cooperation in cyber and financial crime investigations on the platform, a police told Reuters.
Durov, often dubbed “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg,” was born in Russia and holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates.
The 39-year-old billionaire estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, stated in April that while some governments have tried to pressure him, the app should remain a neutral platform and not become a “player in geopolitics.”
(With input from agencies)
