Telegram questioned the justification behind the detention of its Chief Executive Officer, Pavel Durov, who was taken into custody at a Paris airport over the weekend.
The billionaire co-founder of the messaging app was detained at Le Bourget on Saturday, reportedly over suspicions that he failed to prevent criminal activities on Telegram, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Durov, 39, initially detained on Saturday, had his detention extended by 24 hours late Sunday, according to a judicial official.
In response, Telegram issued a statement on its platform and on X (formerly known as Twitter), affirming that the Dubai-based company adheres to European regulations, including the Digital Services Act. The statement emphasized that Durov has "nothing to hide."
"It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform," the statement read. "We anticipate a swift resolution to this situation."
Durov, who resides in Dubai, holds citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates. It remains unclear whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship, as this has not been publicly addressed.
The Russian embassy in Paris has requested an explanation from French authorities regarding Durov's detention and has demanded the protection of his rights, including consular access. Embassy officials are reportedly in communication with Durov's lawyer.
According to AFP, France's Ofmin, an agency focused on combating violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov. Ofmin is leading a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism.
Following news of Durov's detention, Toncoin, a cryptocurrency associated with Telegram, dropped by as much as 23%.
Telegram, created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, boasts approximately 900 million active users and is among the world's most popular messaging apps. However, its relatively lax approach to content moderation has drawn criticism, with accusations that it has been used for criminal and extremist activities.
The Durov brothers originally built their fortune by creating the Russian social network VKontakte in 2006, which quickly gained popularity in Russia. This success, however, made VKontakte a target for a Kremlin-linked billionaire. Durov fled Russia in 2014 and subsequently sold his stake in VKontakte. Today, Durov's net worth exceeds $9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov spoke about the pressures he faced from Russian authorities while managing VKontakte, as well as the global scrutiny of Telegram by law enforcement agencies.
"I would rather be free; I wouldn’t want to take orders from anyone," Durov stated during the interview. Photo by TechCrunch, Wikimedia commons.