Pavel Durov, the founder and chief of Telegram, who was arrested in France on charges of failing to curb illegal content on the app, is also being investigated on suspicion of “serious acts of violence” against one of his children, a source close to the case said Wednesday.
The probe, opened recently by the French child welfare office, concerns Durov’s son, born in 2017, who is now living in Switzerland with his mother having previously been enrolled in a French school. The alleged violence happened in Paris, the source said.
Russian-born Durov, 39, arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris late Saturday, was to appear in court Wednesday facing possible charges over 12 offences relating to his management of Telegram.
The boy’s mother had filed a legal complaint in Switzerland last year, accusing her former partner of violent acts against their son, the source said.
After almost four days of questioning in detention by French investigators, he was handed over to judicial authorities, who will decide further measures, a source close to the case told AFP.
A Paris 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.
As part of a probe that was confidentially opened on July 8, Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 offenses related to failing to curb extremist and criminal content on Telegram, sources close to the investigation have said.
The tech mogul founded Telegram as he was in the process of quitting his native Russia a decade ago. Its growth has been exponential, with the app now reporting over 900 million users.
An enigmatic figure who rarely speaks in public, Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based.
Numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of Durov’s detention, with supporters seeing him as a freedom of speech champion and detractors as a menace who wilfully allowed Telegram to get out of control.
‘In No Way Political’
In a post on X to address what he called “false information” concerning the case, French President Emmanuel Macron said Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” and it was “up to the judges to rule.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the charges were very serious and thus needed “no less serious evidence.”
“Otherwise this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication and, I might even say, directly intimidate the head of a large company,” he said.
The UAE meanwhile said it was “closely following the case” and had requested consular access for him.
Among those voicing support for Durov is fellow tech tycoon and chief executive of X, Elon Musk, who has posted comments under the hashtag #FreePavel.
With AFP
