Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France, Telegram Speaks Out

Todaysgist.com, Jakarta – CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French authorities moments after stepping off his private jet at a Paris airport on Sunday, August 25, 2024.

Regarding this, Telegram immediately spoke up. In its official statement, the company condemned the accusations that Pavel Durov should be held responsible for the misuse of the messaging platform.

“The Telegram application complies with European Union law, including the Digital Services Act. Its moderation is within industry standards, and is continuously improving,” wrote the official statement, Monday (26/8/2024).

“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels to Europe,” the company said. “We are still waiting for further developments. Telegram is with you.”

Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old Telegram boss, is reportedly wanted on a French arrest warrant for a lack of moderation on Telegram that led to it being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing paedophile content, according to BFMTV.

According to BFMTV, the Telegram founder has not traveled regularly to France and Europe since the arrest warrant was issued.

The Guardian quoted the TF1 website as saying Durov was travelling on his private jet, adding that he had been the subject of an arrest warrant in France.

The Telegram CEO was known to have traveled from Azerbaijan and was arrested at around 8 p.m. local time.

The Russian-born entrepreneur is known to live in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.

Pavel Durov, who Forbes estimates is worth $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.