Telegram tycoon Pavel Durov has been released from police custody ahead of a court appearance after four days of questioning over allegations that his platform is being used for illegal activities.
The 39-year-old billionaire is set to appear in front of a judge this afternoon to face possible charges of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app following his arrest at the weekend.
The Russian-born tech boss was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said: ‘An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment.’
Other allegations against Durov, who is a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, fraud and abetting organised crime transactions, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
Telegram tycoon Pavel Durov has been released from police custody ahead of a court appearance in France
A general view of The Office National Antifraude (ONAF), or National Anti-Fraud Office, building in Ivry-sur-Seine, south of Paris, where Pavel Durov was being held
The Telegram founder had been in custody for 96 hours – the maximum amount of time someone can be held under French law
An investigating magistrate will decide whether to press charges against Durov, and the judiciary would then rule on whether he will be remanded in custody or allowed to go free, possibly under judicial control with restrictions on his movements.
Two police cars with flashing blue lights cars sped out of the anti-fraud office outside Paris this afternoon, video shows, with reports suggesting Durov might be travelling in one.
The Telegram founder had been in custody for 96 hours – the maximum amount of time someone can be held under French law before being charged.
In a rare intervention by a French leader into judicial matters, President Macron on Monday said the decision to bring charges against Durov was ‘in no way political’.
His detention sparked a row between Paris and Moscow, which demanded consular access to its former citizen, according to Russian media.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the accusations by France against Durov were ‘very serious’ and warned they would be viewed in Russia as an attempt to restrict freedom of communication unless they were backed up with significant evidence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blasted Macron in the furore and said his country’s relationship with France is at its ‘lowest level’.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped that Durov ‘has all the necessary opportunities for his legal defence’ and added that Moscow stands ‘ready to provide all necessary assistance and support’ to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen.
‘But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France,’ Mr Peskov said.
In addition to France, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was ‘closely following the case’ and had asked France to provide Durov ‘with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner’.
Durov founded Telegram along with his brother Nikolai in 2013, saying the absence of any secure form of communication in Russia gave rise to the idea.
It has since garnered more than 950 million users, making it one of the world’s biggest social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
In 2013, Duvrov sold his stake in VKontakte – a social media site he also founded known as Russia’s Facebook.
A very different-looking Durov seen in his 20s. He set up VK, dubbed the ‘Facebook of Russia’, when he left university at 21
The company came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown following mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
Durov had said authorities demanded that the site take down online communities of Russian opposition activists, and later that it hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine, which eventually ousted a pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he had turned down these demands and left the country.
The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts.
Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations
Western governments have often criticised Telegram for a lack of content moderation, which experts say opens up the messaging app for potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and the sharing of material linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is ‘within industry standards and constantly improving’.
‘It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,’ Telegram’s post said.
‘Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information.
‘We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.’