France’s Macron says there is no political motive behind the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an ongoing judicial investigation and had no political motive, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

Macron’s statement at X was the first official confirmation of Durov’s arrest, nearly two days since he was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after boarding a private plane from Azerbaijan.

The lack of official confirmation had led to speculation about the reasons for his detention. Macron said he had read “false information here about France after the arrest of Pavel Durov”.

“The arrest of Telegram’s president on French territory was made as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” he wrote. “This is in no way a political decision. It’s up to the judges to decide.”

A police spokesman told Reuters that Durov is under investigation by the national cybercrime and fraud offices for failing to cooperate on cyber and financial crimes on Telegram, a messaging and social media app. He is still in custody, the spokesman said.

Reuters was unable to speak to any lawyers representing him.

Durov’s arrest prompted criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who said free speech in Europe was under attack, and calls from Moscow for French authorities to grant Durov his rights.

Tensions between France and Russia have been rising for months, with French authorities accusing Russia of trying to destabilize it ahead of the Paris Olympics in response to its tougher stance on the war in Ukraine – claims Russia denies.

Follow the latest on the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov:

Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire billed as “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg” has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship. Estimated by Forbes to be worth $15.5 billion, Durov said in April that some governments had sought to pressure him, but the app should remain a neutral platform and not a “player in geopolitics.”

Telegram did not provide details of the arrest, but said the Dubai-based company complied with European Union laws and its moderation was “within industry standards and constantly improving.”

“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels to Europe,” Telegram said in a statement. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.”

When asked about his arrest, the Kremlin said on Monday that it had not yet seen any official French charges against Durov.

“We still don’t know what exactly Durov is accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference.

“What exactly are they trying to incriminate Durov? Without knowing, it would probably be a mistake to make any statements,” Peskov said.

The Russian embassy in Paris told X that French authorities had refused to cooperate with its requests for consular access, but said it was in contact with Durov’s lawyer. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

French citizen

Telegram was founded by Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his social media platform VK, which he has since sold.

The encrypted app, with nearly 1 billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. Durov, who was born in Soviet Leningrad and graduated from St. Petersburg State University, lists his political views as “libertarian.”

He obtained his French passport in 2021 through a special procedure for high-profile foreigners, exempting them from the usual legal requirements, including having lived in the country for at least five years.

The French Foreign Ministry, which is in charge of the proceedings, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Elysee presidential office also declined to comment, deferring to the foreign ministry.

Under French law, any foreigner can be granted citizenship under special rules, provided he speaks French and “contributes through his outstanding work to the influence of France and the prosperity of its international economic relations”.

Durov has never lived in France and it was unclear what special connection he had to the country. On June 10, Durov posted on his Telegram channel: “As a French citizen, I agree that France is the best vacation destination.”

His naturalization procedure is rare, with only 10-20 cases processed each year, and each of them requires high-level political support, local media reported.

Evan Spiegel, the founder of Snap, maker of the Snapchat app, obtained French citizenship in 2018 under the same program, local media reported at the time. Snap did not respond to a request for comment.

Russian state media reported that Durov also held citizenship of Russia and St. Kitts and Nevis. Reuters was unable to verify these reports.