Russian citizen Pavel Durov has been arrested in France. His arrest was made in Paris with the assistance of Interpol, and he will now be presented in a French court. Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening. Mr. Durov had arrived from Baku, in Azerbaijan, some sources said.
French authorities, specifically the Office for the Protection of Minors (OFMIN), have issued an arrest warrant for Pavel Durov as part of a preliminary investigation. The allegations against him include fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promotion of terrorism, according to various sources.
Pavel Durov Arrest: Reasons for Arrest
Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France, on Saturday. He is suspected of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram, including drug trafficking, distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and fraud. Following the arrest, Toncoin (TON) prices plummeted over 14.5% ². Durov is expected to appear in court on Sunday.
Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was arrested in France due to his company’s lack of content moderation and unwillingness to cooperate with law enforcement. He’s being held responsible for the drug trafficking, money laundering, and sharing of child pornography that allegedly occur via the app. Specifically, Durov is suspected of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram. The warrant for his arrest stems from a criminal complaint by OFIM, an office of the French national police, which considers Durov complicit in drug trafficking, distribution of child sexual abuse material, and fraud due to Telegram’s lack of moderation and cooperation with law enforcement.
Telegram: The Platform of Privacy
Telegram, a Dubai-based encrypted messaging app, has positioned itself as a privacy-focused alternative to US-owned platforms. The company has committed to not disclosing user information and has chosen Dubai for its business-friendly environment and neutrality. Telegram, which is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world and has over 950 million active users. He is also known as Russia’s Zuckerberg for creating Vkontakte, Russia’s biggest social network, at the age of 22, and has an estimated fortune of $15.5 billion.
In a rare interview, Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, shared that he created the app after facing pressure from the Russian government while working at VK, a social network he founded. He praised Dubai for its independence, privacy, and freedom, citing these as reasons for Telegram’s popularity.
With over 900 million active users, Telegram has faced criticism for allowing large groups and spreading misinformation. Unlike WhatsApp, which introduced limits on message forwarding, Telegram has maintained its group size limit of 200,000 members. This has raised concerns about the spread of false information, hate speech, and illegal content. By basing itself in the UAE, Telegram has avoided moderation laws, but this has also led to accusations of enabling harmful content. He is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of this Platform.
