‘Logically absurd’: Telegram CEO slams French probe one year after arrest

Telegram founder and chief executive officer Pavel Durov has criticised France’s investigation into illegal content on his messaging app.

The Telegram boss said French authorities were “struggling” to find evidence of wrongdoing a year after his high-profile arrest.

“One year ago, the French police detained me for four days because some people I’d never heard of used Telegram to coordinate crimes,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday evening.

“A year later, the ‘criminal investigation’ against me is still struggling to find anything that I or Telegram did wrong,” he added.

The 40-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur was sensationally detained in Paris in 2024 and is under formal investigation by French authorities over the popular platform’s alleged complicity in criminal activity.

Durov, who holds French and Russian passports, has been accused of complicity in running an online platform that allowed illicit transactions, images of child sex abuse, and other illegal content.

He has denied the allegations and condemned his arrest as doing “massive damage to France’s image as a free country”.

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“Arresting a CEO of a major platform over the actions of its users was not only unprecedented – it was legally and logically absurd,” Durov wrote, pledging to “keep fighting”.

The Telegram founder has accused French authorities of failing to follow proper legal procedures when submitting content moderation inquiries.

“Our moderation practices align with industry standards, and Telegram has always responded to every legally binding request from France,” Durov said.

During initial questioning in December 2024, the tech entrepreneur acknowledged a growing criminal presence on the platform and pledged to strengthen content oversight.

Durov, who was initially banned from leaving France, had his judicial control relaxed in July, allowing him to reside in the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based, for a maximum of two weeks at a time.

“I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” he added.

The Star