Pavel Durov’s lawyer says probe against Telegram boss is ‘absurd’

A lawyer for embattled Telegram boss Pavel Durov said Thursday it was “absurd” for French authorities to claim the Russian-born billionaire should be held personally liable for criminal activity on the social media app.

Durov, 39, was charged Wednesday with being complicit in drug trafficking, child sex abuse, fraud and various other misdeeds carried out on Telegram. 

The tech tycoon, who has a net worth estimated at $9 billion, was seen rushing out of a heavily guarded facility in an all-black outfit after being released on $5.6 million bond, according to a video posted to X on Thursday.

David-Olivier Kaminski, Durov’s lawyer in France, said it was “absurd to say that a platform or its boss are responsible for any abuse” that users conduct.

Telegram has adhered to European laws, Kaminiski added.

Durov —  who holds citizenship in France, Russia and the United Arab Emirates — was arrested in Paris last Saturday.

He was ordered to stay in France and check in at a local police station twice a week while authorities investigate the litany of charges.

French authorities also accused Durov of being uncooperative when law enforcement officials have submitted requests for information on potential criminal activity on the app. He also stands accused of facilitating fraud and money laundering via Telegram.

Prosecutor Laure Beccuau cited a “near total absence” of replies to legal demands while outlining the charges against Durov.

Telegram had previously claimed that Durov – often known as Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg – has “nothing to hide.”

His arrest sparked a wave of online debate about the potential implications for free speech – with billionaire X owner Elon Musk among those who blasted French authorities for taking him into custody.

The Kremlin has also weighed in on a case that has further strained Russia’s relations with France, saying the prosecution Durov, whose messaging app is used by close to 1 billion people, should not turn into “political persecution.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that the charges against Durov are “in no way political” and that the country “is deeply committed” to freedom of speech.

Durov’s arrest is a first for a CEO of a major messaging platform. But, with tensions mounting between governments and social media giants, it is not the first time Telegram has had a run-in with police and judicial authorities.

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In 2023, a Brazilian court ordered a temporary suspension of the app until it complies with an order to share information on extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform.

Do a ‘better job’?

One year before that, as a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice ordered a suspension of Telegram, saying it had repeatedly refused to adhere to judicial orders, Durov blamed his company’s shortcomings on email issues, saying “we definitely could have done a better job.”

“I am certain that once a reliable channel of communication is established, we’ll be able to efficiently process takedown requests for public channels that are illegal in Brazil,” he wrote.

A French police source said this week that Telegram was considered much less willing to cooperate with authorities than other social media. But others also face heat from authorities.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday to name a legal representative for his messaging platform X in Brazil within 24 hours or face the site’s suspension in the country.

The billionaire owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, had said after reports of Durov’s detention: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said this week that the Harris-Biden administration had pressured the company to “censor” COVID-19 content during the pandemic, apparently referring to White House requests to take down what it alleged was misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines.

Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. The platform has become crucial to battlefield communications in the war in Ukraine and is used by governments and soldiers on both sides of the war to share war-related news and propaganda.

“The main thing is that what is happening in France does not turn into political persecution,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

“We know that the president of France has denied any connection (of the case) with politics, but on the other hand, certain accusations are being made. We will see what happens next.”

Russia has previously tried, and failed, to block Telegram and fined the company several times for failing to delete what it deemed illegal content.

Macron, who has long been keen to position France as a tech hub, had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of meetings with tech entrepreneurs, a source close to the president said, and Durov was granted French citizenship in 2021 under a rare procedure for high-profile individuals.

With Post wires