While French authorities have been reticent thus far, Russian legislators have expressed disapproval of Mr. Durov’s arrest on Saturday.
Following Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, who was in continuous detention in France, the company believes he has “nothing to hide” and that the accusations against him are absurd.
After his private jet touched down at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of Paris on Saturday, the billionaire founder of the encrypted messaging service was taken into custody.
Read also: #FreeDurov trends on X as campaign for the release of the Telegram’s CEO gathers momentum
Unnamed sources told news networks BFMTV and TF1 that the Russian-born businessman, who obtained French citizenship in 2021, was the target of a search order.
According to both sources, the inquiry was centred on possible user criminal conduct and Telegram’s dearth of moderators.
Although French police have not yet commented, they added that the warrant claims his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and other offences.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” the company stated on Sunday.
“Peter Durov, the CEO of Telegram, is a frequent visitor to Europe and has nothing to conceal.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”
Nearly one billion people use Telegram, making it one of the most downloaded applications worldwide.
Telegram’s strong focus on privacy
It prioritises privacy and provides end-to-end encryption, which effectively prevents data from being intercepted.
However, because of these characteristics, it is a well-liked location for criminal activities. Recently, far-right activists used it to incite riots across the UK in response to the stabbings in Southport.
After losing control of his former social network company, Vkontakte (VK), Mr. Durov, 39, he departed Russia in 2014.
He declined to provide security services access to information about Ukrainian protestors and to cooperate with government orders to close down opposition groups on the site.
In August 2021, he obtained French citizenship after relocating to Dubai in 2017.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian embassy in France has requested that Mr. Durov be granted consular access and his rights be upheld.
According to the embassy, Russian diplomats communicate with Durov’s attorney, but France has “avoided engagement” in the matter thus far.
Read also: Telegram messaging app CEO Durov detained in France
Who is Pavel Durov
Here is all the information you need to know about Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. He is among the richest people in the world and was frequently referred to as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg.”
Pavel Durov, a Russian-born businessman, is the creator and owner of Telegram, a free messaging service that rivals platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and TikTok.
He is sometimes referred to as “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg,” and Forbes estimates his wealth at $15.5 billion (£11.7 billion), making him the 120th richest person in the world.
The 39-year-old fled the nation in 2014, the same year that Telegram was introduced, defying orders from the government to close down opposition communities on VKontakte, an older social media network he and his brother had developed and later sold.
In August 2021, he obtained French citizenship after relocating to Dubai in 2017.