By Layli Foroudi and Tassilo Hummel
PARIS (Reuters) – Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an investigation into crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors said on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed Durov’s arrest for the first time since he was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening. Despite numerous false comments online, he said there was no political motive for the arrest, adding that France remains deeply committed to lawful freedom of expression.
“The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place in the context of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron wrote on X. “This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide.”
In a subsequent statement, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Durov was arrested as part of an investigation against an unnamed person launched by the office’s cybercrime unit on July 8.
The investigation is ongoing on suspicion of complicity in various crimes, including operating an online platform that facilitates illegal transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as refusing to provide information to authorities, money laundering and providing cryptographic services to criminals, the statement said.
Durov could be held until Wednesday, it said.
Reuters was unable to reach any of Durov’s lawyers.
Telegram is a popular messaging and social media app similar to WhatsApp. The encrypted application, with nearly a billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union.
Durov’s arrest sparked criticism from Elon Musk, the owner of X, who said free speech in Europe was under threat. Moscow called on French authorities to grant Durov his rights.
Tensions between France and Russia have been rising for months. French authorities accuse Russia of trying to destabilize the country ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, in response to the country’s tougher stance in the Ukraine war – Russia denies these allegations.
Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire who plays the role of the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg,” has dual citizenship: France and the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry said in an initial statement that it had requested France to “urgently provide all necessary consular services.”
Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion according to Forbes, said in April that some governments had tried to put pressure on him, but the app should remain a neutral platform and not a “player in geopolitics.”
Telegram did not provide details of the arrest, but said the Dubai-based company complies with European Union laws and its moderation “meets industry standards and is constantly improving.”
“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels to Europe frequently,” Telegram said in a statement. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”
The Kremlin said on Monday that it had not yet received any official French accusations against Durov.
“We do not yet know what exactly Durov is accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference. “What exactly are they trying to incriminate Durov with? Without (knowing that), it would probably be wrong to make any statements.”
The Russian embassy in Paris told X that French authorities had refused to grant their requests for consular access, but said it was in contact with Durov’s lawyer. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
FRENCH CITIZEN
Telegram was founded by Durov, an avowed libertarian who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to close opposition communities on his now-sold social media platform VK.
He obtained his French passport in 2021 under a rare fast-track procedure for high-profile foreigners that exempts them from usual legal requirements, including at least five years’ residence in the country.
The French Foreign Ministry, which is responsible for the proceedings, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Elysée presidential office also declined to comment, referring to the Foreign Ministry.
Under French law, any foreigner can be granted French citizenship under special provisions provided he or she speaks French and “contributes through his or her outstanding work to the influence of France and the prosperity of its international economic relations”.
Durov has never lived in France and it was unclear what special connection he had to the country. On June 10, Durov posted on his Telegram channel: “As a French citizen, I agree that France is the best holiday destination.”
His naturalization process is a rarity: only ten to twenty cases are processed each year, and each of them requires political support at the highest level, local media reported.
Evan Spiegel, co-founder of Snap, the maker of the Snapchat app, received French citizenship in 2018 under the same program, local media reported at the time. Snap did not respond to a request for comment.
According to Russian state media, Durov owns the Russian and St. Kitts and Nevis passports in addition to the French and United Arab Emirates passports. Reuters could not confirm these reports.
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Elizabeth Pineau and Gabriel Stargardter in Paris and Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; additional reporting by Hatem Maher in Cairo; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Alison Williams, Andrew Heavens and Sandra Maler)
