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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at a Paris Airport by French Authoritiess
Pavel Durov
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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at a Paris Airport by French Authoritiess

2024-08-26 by Ndaman Olayinka 6 minutes read
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at a Paris Airport by French Authoritiess

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday evening at France’s Le Bourget airport by French authorities, as reported by French news website and television network TF1.

Durov was said to have been arrested at the Paris airport after he arrived in a private jet and placed in custody by France's national anti-fraud office.

After flying from Azerbaijan to the private jet-only Le Bourget airport in Paris with a woman and a bodyguard, Durov was reportedly arrested. Based on a preliminary investigation, the report said that Durov was the target of a search warrant issued by OFMIN, an investigative body that fights child sexual exploitation in France.

The National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) of France, which arrested Pavel Durov, reportedly told the news site that Durov would undoubtedly end up in pre-trial detention. “Through his platform, he enabled numerous offenses and crimes to be committed for which Durov does nothing to moderate or assist with law enforcement," the investigator said.

For "multiple offenses: drugs, terrorism, fraud, complicity, receiving stolen goods, money laundering, pedocriminal content," among other offenses, TF1 predicts that Durov may appear before an investigating judge on Saturday night and that an indictment could follow on Sunday.

The 39-year-old technology billionaire Durov rarely travels in Europe, according to the news report. This could be an attempt to avoid being arrested in this exact manner, since the news site stated that his arrest warrant is only valid for French territory. Tonight, Durov made a mistake. We're not sure why...maybe it was merely a stopover flight? Anyways, he's locked up," a source allegedly explained to TF1 in French.

Telegram said in a statement that it "abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act." The company further added that "it is absurd to claim that a platform or its founder are the reason for the abuse of that platform."

Tensions between France and Russia rise after Telegram CEO arrest

Telegram CEO arrest has prompted a warning from Moscow to Paris stating that the founder should be granted his rights. Elon Musk, the owner of X, also claimed that free speech in Europe was being targeted.

The Russian Embassy in France said on Sunday that the authorities were not helping the situation in their efforts to gain access to the Telegram CEO.

"We immediately demanded that the French Government guarantee the protection of P.V. Durov's rights and grant consular access as soon as we learned of his detention, following the media's report. The French side has refrained from discussing this matter as of yet. We have communication with P.V. Durov's attorney," the statement states in translation.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, some Russian officials have called the arrest an indirect act of hostility against their country. Durov has two citizenships: one from France and the other from the United Arab Emirates, according to some reports.

The prosecutor's office in Paris reportedly told NPR that French officials are scheduled to discuss the arrest in a statement on Monday. French media reports state that Durov may be charged with anything from money laundering to "pedocriminal content," all of which are connected to Telegram's operations and the lack of moderation on the platform.

TON blockchain confirms its support for the detained CEO of Telegram, as the price drops 13%

The Open Network, also referred to as the TON blockchain, has issued a statement via the X account in response to Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of Telegram, being arrested in France.

We would like to reassure everyone that the TON community is still strong and fully functional in light of the recent news regarding Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. Part of the statement from the X account on the TON blockchain says, "As a community dedicated to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly by Durov Pavel during this challenging time."

The statement might have been issued to calm investor concerns after the announcement of Durov's arrest caused TON's native token, Toncoin, to fall almost 20% before recovering. As of this writing, the token has lost 13% of its value in the last day.

Disclaimer: This information should not be considered financial advice by any means. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions. The views in the articles are personal opinions only. Whale Insider is not responsible for any financial losses incurred.