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The arrest of the billionaire Telegram founder on French soil was not a political decision, the country's president has said after Pavel Durov was arrested at at Le Bourget airport over the weekend, amid allegations about offences related to the messaging service.
While Telegram says its CEO has "nothing to hide", French media reports suggest the executive remained in custody into Sunday as authorities investigate allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, terrorism promotion and cyber-bullying related to the platform.
His arrest came as part of a larger investigation related to charges of "complicity" in illegal transactions and possessing and distributing pornographic images of minors, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
The statement mentioned 12 different offences under investigation that it said were linked to organised crime.
President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that he had seen “false information” regarding France following Durov’s arrest, and added: "This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide."
As of Tuesday morning, Durov had not been charged, and few details were available on the investigation. Under French law, he can remain in custody for questioning for up to four days, meaning that on Wednesday, judges must decide to either charge him or release him.
Based in Dubai, Telegram Messenger is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world, according to the company. In 2024, it passed 900 million monthly active users, making it the world’s fourth most popular messaging platform behind WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger (META).
It offers end-to-end encryption — effectively protecting data from being intercepted — and has a strong focus on privacy. But these features have made it a popular place for criminal activity.
"Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving," the company said in a statement.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” stated the message, which was posted to the company’s official channel on the Telegram app. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”