Source: AFP
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday defended a decision to grant French citizenship to Telegram chief Pavel Durov, who faces a possible trial over illegal content uploaded to his popular messaging app.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Serbia, the French president said he did not know Durov would be coming to France and denied extending “any invitation” to the Russian-born billionaire.
“We are a country where there is a separation of powers,” Macron said.
“I was totally unaware it was coming. That’s normal,” he added.
Macron said he “fully supported” the decision to grant Durov citizenship, adding that it was a “strategy” for those who “make an effort to learn the French language” and who “shine in the world”.
Durov, 39, was arrested in spectacular fashion at Le Bourget airport outside Paris over the weekend and on Wednesday night was charged with a series of breaches related to the messaging app. He was also banned from leaving the country.
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Many questions have been raised about the time and conditions of Durov’s detention, with his supporters seeing him as a defender of free speech and critics as a menace who willfully allowed Telegram to get out of control.
According to a source close to the investigation, Durov had emphasized his ties to the French head of state during the interrogation.
Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday that Durov had met with Macron on several occasions before he was granted French citizenship in 2021 through a special process reserved for those deemed to have made a special contribution to France.
Source: AFP
Durov’s lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminsky, said it was “absurd” to suggest that Durov could be involved in any crime committed on the app, adding: “Telegram complies in all respects with European rules on digital technology ».
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In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned France not to turn the case into a “political prosecution”, stressing that he is a “Russian citizen” and “we will watch what happens next”.
Among those also voicing support for Durov is fellow tech mogul and X CEO Elon Musk, who has posted comments under the hashtag #FreePavel.
Following the accusations, Musk posted a meme on X of a surveillance camera attached to buildings with France’s motto, “liberty, equality, fraternity.”
Litany of accusations
Duroff was granted conditional release on bail of five million euros and on the condition that he must report to a police station twice a week and remain in France, Paris prosecutor Laure Bekou said in a statement.
The charges relate to alleged crimes involving an organized group, including “complicity in the management of an online platform to enable an illegal transaction.”
That charge alone could land him up to 10 years in prison and a €500,000 fine if convicted.
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Durov was also charged with refusing to release documents requested by authorities, as well as “distributing to an organized group images of minors in child pornography”, as well as drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering.
The next step will be to refer the case to trial.
Source: AFP
Separately, Durov is also being investigated on suspicion of “serious acts of violence” against one of his children while he and the boy’s mother were in Paris, a source said. He filed a criminal complaint against Durov in Switzerland last year.
The tech mogul founded Telegram as he was in the process of fleeing his native Russia a decade ago after a dispute with authorities over ownership of his first project, the Russian-language social network VKontakte.
An enigmatic figure who rarely speaks publicly, Durov is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based.
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Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion, although he proudly promotes the virtues of an ascetic life that includes taking ice baths and not drinking alcohol or coffee.
A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Thursday that after his arrest, Durov asked French telecoms tycoon Xavier Niel, chairman and founder of mobile operator Iliad, to be briefed on his arrest.
Neill is seen as close to Macron. Contacted by AFP, Niel’s entourage declined to comment.
A UAE government official said it “prioritises the well-being of its citizens” and “has been in contact with the French authorities on this case”.
Source: AFP
