Prosecutors in France said Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in connection with a cybercrime and anti-fraud investigation into illegal activity on the platform and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Durov’s arrest, according to prosecutor Laure Beccuau, was part of an inquiry opened on July 8 “against person unnamed” involving potential charges such as aiding in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, money laundering, and selling illegal drugs.
The messaging app said its founder has “nothing to hide” following his arrest in France on Saturday. The 39-year-old billionaire CEO of the company was detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris over the weekend.
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In a statement, Telegram said it abides by European Union laws including the Digital Services Act, legislation that aims to crack down on illegal online activities and the spread of disinformation. Telegram also said its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe,” the statement read. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
The company added that it is “awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement Monday that Durov’s arrest was not political.
“The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” he said. “This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide.”
Durov is a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, according to Telegram, but he was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in the former Soviet Union. His family moved to Italy when he was 4, he told Tucker Carlson in an interview in April, but returned to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed.
He’s been dubbed “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg” for creating VK, the country’s answer to Facebook. In 2014, he left Russia after refusing government requests to shut down opposition accounts and hand over data belonging to people involved in a pro-democracy protest movement in Ukraine.
After selling VK, Durov now lives in Dubai and commands an estimated $15.5 billion fortune, according to Forbes.
It’s not clear if he’s renounced his Russian citizenship, but Russia’s embassy in France said it is attempting to “clarify the reasons for the detention and to provide for the protection of Mr Durov’s rights and facilitate consular access.” On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow does “not yet know what exactly Durov is accused of.”
“With what exactly are they trying to incriminate Durov? Without [knowing], it would probably be wrong to make any statements,” Peskov added.
Experts say Telegram’s lax content moderation allows the platform to potentially be used in illegal activities including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material, according to the Associated Press.
