The pretrial detention of the founder of the digital platform Telegram, Russian and French citizen Pavel Durov, was extended on Sunday night, a day after his arrest at a Paris airport.
The arrest came after French investigators issued an arrest warrant against him in connection with several crimes related to his encrypted messaging service.
The 39-year-old Franco-Russian multimillionaire, accompanied by his bodyguard and assistant who followed him everywhere, was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport north of Paris, a source close to the case said, quoted by the French news agency AFP.
The Telegram founder was coming from Baku and would have spent at least the night in Paris, where he planned to have dinner, added a source close to the investigation.
According to another source close to the case, the Parisian investigating judge in charge of the judicial investigation, which focuses in particular on the actions carried out by an organised group, extended the preventive measure on Sunday evening, which could last for a maximum of 96 hours.
After this period, Pavel Durov may be released or presented to a justice of the peace for possible formal charges.
The Office of the Federal Anti-Violence Against Minors (OFMIN) has issued an arrest warrant for Pavel Durov for crimes ranging from fraud to drug trafficking, cyberstalking, organized crime and aiding terrorism, a source close to the case said.
Then, on an unspecified date, a judicial investigation was opened by the cyber unit (J3) of Junalco (National Court for Combating Organized Crime), another source close to the process said.
The investigation was assigned to the National Guard’s National Cyber Unit (UNC) and ONAF, the National Fraud Unit, which is affiliated with the Customs Service, where Durov is being held in pretrial detention, according to two sources close to the case.
The court accuses Pavel Durov of failing to take action against the criminal use of his instant messaging platform by subscribers, in particular due to the lack of moderation and cooperation with the investigation.
“Enough of impunity on Telegram,” congratulated one of the investigators, surprised that the multimillionaire, knowing that he was wanted in France, decided to go to Paris, which he probably did “out of a sense of impunity,” one of the sources close to the case commented.
Pavel Durov “has nothing to hide and often travels around Europe,” assured the digital platform Telegram on Sunday evening on his own channel.
“It is absurd to say that the platform or its owner is responsible for the violations” found on the platform, the company added.
“Telegram complies with European laws, including the Digital Services Regulation. [e] “His moderation actions are in line with industry standards,” he continued.
Launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, the Dubai-based digital messaging service, which can be fully encrypted, has established itself as a standout from North American platforms that have been criticised for commercialising personal data.
Telegram has committed to never disclosing any information about its users.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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