UAE Seeks Consular Help for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
The UAE announced on Tuesday that it had asked for consular services for Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, who is based in Dubai. Durov was detained in France on suspicion of not doing enough to stop illegal activity on the app.
The foreign ministry of the Gulf state released a statement saying, “The UAE is closely following the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities in Paris–Le Bourget Airport.”
It further stated, “The Government of the French Republic has received a request from the UAE to promptly furnish him with all necessary consular services.”
The messaging platform’s 39-year-old wealthy creator, Dmitry Durov, was taken into custody late on Saturday night at the Paris airport.
He is charged with neglecting to stop the illicit content from spreading on Telegram, a messaging app with over 900 million users. The charges have been denied by the business.
While Durov spent a second day in French detention on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that the internet tycoon’s arrest had a political motive.
According to a source close to the investigation, late on Monday, French officials once more extended his first arrest for questioning until Wednesday.
After emigrating from Russia ten years ago, Durov founded Telegram. According to Forbes magazine, he is currently worth $15.5 billion.
Besides being Russian, he also has a French passport. According to Telegram’s news release, its founder is a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated on Monday that Moscow was unaware of Durov’s specific charges and that Moscow had not received any information from France regarding the reason for his detention.
According to a Sunday statement from Telegram, based in Dubai, “Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”
It further stated, “Telegram’s moderation is in line with industry standards and it complies with all EU laws, including the Digital Services Act.”
“It is ludicrous to hold a platform or its proprietor accountable for misuse of that platform.”
