Telegram CEO released, was arrested four days ago; barred from leaving the country
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was released in France on Wednesday after four days of interrogation. Durov was detained on Saturday on charges of using the Telegram app for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking.
Investigating judges filed preliminary charges against Durov on Wednesday night and ordered him to report to a police station twice a week and pay a bail of 5 million euros. Durov has also been barred from leaving the country until the investigation is completed.
During the interrogation, Durov has refused to share information or documents with investigators, citing Telegram’s laws. Durov was born in Russia but is a French citizen.
Durov’s arrest in France has sparked a lot of anger in Russia. Some government officials have described it as politically motivated and evidence of the West’s double standards on freedom of expression.
Durov owns assets worth $15 billion
Sources associated with the investigation said that a confidential investigation was started against Durov in France on July 8. Durov is accused of 12 crimes related to failing to stop extremist content on Telegram. Pavel Durov started Telegram a decade ago. Telegram today has more than 900 million users worldwide. Pavel has citizenship of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates. Pavel was currently living in Dubai. According to Forbes magazine, Durov’s current wealth is around $15.5 billion. The question that is being raised about Durov’s arrest is why did he go to Paris when he knew that there was an arrest warrant issued against him in France!
