Telegram says its CEO Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide” after he was arrested in Paris.
Durov, who co-founded the messaging platform in 2013, was detained Saturday at an airport near Paris, French authorities said Sunday, according to The Washington Post. His arrest warrant alleges that Telegram is not properly moderated and is being used for various illegal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking, the Associated Press reported.
Telegram defended its moderation practices and its CEO in a post on X on Sunday, writing: “Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and is constantly improving.”
The post added: “Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform. Almost a billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information.”
Paris prosecutor Laure Bequo said in a statement on Monday that in addition to potential charges of aiding money laundering and drug trafficking, the investigation against Durov was also looking at potential charges of complicity in the distribution of child pornography, as well as refusing to cooperate with police. The New York Times reported.
No charges have yet been filed and Durov may remain in custody until Wednesday, the publication reports. Cybercrime and anti-fraud specialists are leading the investigation, which began on July 8, the Times reported.
“It was within this procedural framework that Pavel Durov was questioned by investigators,” Bekwau said, according to the Times.
Elon Musk, X’s executive chairman and self-described “free speech absolutist,” also posted over the weekend to defend Durov. Musk, who said Durov’s arrest was a violation of free speech, wrote “Liberté Liberté! Liberté?” in one X post about Durov’s arrest and “Dangerous Times” in another.
Durov was born in Russia but fled the country in 2014 after refusing to hand over data from a previous platform he founded to Russian authorities. He is now a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France.
On Monday morning, French President Emmanuel Macron also posted about Durov’s arrest on X.
Macron said France “is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and the spirit of entrepreneurship”, but added that these “freedoms are maintained within a legal framework”.
“The arrest of Telegram’s president on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron wrote. “This is by no means a political decision. It’s up to the judges to rule on that.”