Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, was to seem in a French courtroom Wednesday to face potential costs of failing to curb extremist and unlawful content material on the favored messaging app after his arrest on the weekend.
Russian-born Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport exterior Paris late Saturday.
After virtually 4 days of questioning in detention by French investigators he was handed over to judicial authorities who will determine additional measures, a supply near the case informed AFP.
A Paris investigating Justice of the Peace will determine whether or not to press costs towards Durov, and the judiciary would then rule on whether or not he will likely be remanded in custody or allowed to go free, presumably below judicial management with restrictions on his actions.
As a part of a probe that was confidentially opened on July 8, Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 offences associated to failing to curb extremist and prison content material on Telegram, sources near the investigation have stated.
The tech mogul based Telegram as he was within the means of quitting his native Russia a decade in the past. Its progress has been exponential, with the app now reporting over 900 million customers.
An enigmatic determine who hardly ever speaks in public, Durov is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, the place Telegram is predicated.
Forbes journal estimates his present fortune at $15.5 billion, although he proudly promotes the virtues of an ascetic life that features ice baths and never ingesting alcohol or espresso.
Quite a few questions have been raised in regards to the timing and circumstances of Durov’s detention, with supporters seeing him as a freedom of speech champion and detractors as a menace who wilfully allowed Telegram to get uncontrolled.
Le Monde newspaper reported Wednesday that Durov had met French President Emmanuel Macron on a number of events previous to receiving French nationality in 2021, through a particular process reserved for these deemed to have made a particular contribution to France.
The Wall Avenue Journal added that at one lunch in 2018, Macron — who alongside together with his crew was up to now an avid consumer of Telegram — had recommended it must be headquartered in Paris, however Durov refused.
The Canard Enchaine weekly newspaper stated that when he was arrested Durov had claimed he was in Paris to dine with Macron, which the Elysee denied.
‘In no way political’
In a put up on X to deal with what he referred to as “false information” regarding the case, Macron stated Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” and it was “up to the judges to rule”.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the costs had been very severe and thus wanted “no less serious evidence”.
“Otherwise this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication, and, I might even say, directly intimidate the head of a large company,” he stated.
The UAE in the meantime stated it was “closely following the case” and had requested consular entry for him.
Amongst these voicing assist for Durov is fellow tech tycoon and chief government of X, Elon Musk, who has posted feedback below the hashtag #FreePavel.
Durov left Russia a decade in the past as he was establishing Telegram amid an possession squabble regarding his first mission, the Russian social community VKontakte.
However his departure from Russia was reportedly not an abrupt exile: in response to the Vazhnye Istorii information web site, citing leaked border knowledge, he visited the nation greater than 50 occasions between 2015 and 2021.
‘Nothing to hide’
Durov, who has been primarily based in Dubai lately, arrived in Paris from the Azerbaijani capital Baku and was planning to have dinner within the French capital, a supply near the case stated.
France’s OFMIN, an workplace tasked with stopping violence towards minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences together with fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism.
Telegram stated in response that “Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe”.
Telegram has positioned itself as a “neutral” different to US-owned platforms, which have been criticised for his or her business exploitation of customers’ private knowledge.
It has additionally performed a key position since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, used actively by politicians and commentators on either side of the struggle.
However critics accuse it of internet hosting typically unlawful content material starting from excessive sexual imagery to disinformation and narcotics providers.
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