UAE seeks consular services for arrested Telegram boss

The UAE announced on Tuesday that it had requested consular assistance for Pavel Durov, the Dubai-based founder of Telegram, following his arrest in France over alleged failures to curb criminal activity on the app.

“The UAE is closely monitoring the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities at Paris–Le Bourget Airport,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry stated.

“The UAE has submitted a request to the Government of the French Republic to urgently provide him with all necessary consular services,” it added.

Durov, the 39-year-old billionaire behind the messaging platform, was detained at the Paris airport late on Saturday.

He is accused of failing to prevent the spread of illegal content on Telegram, which has more than 900 million users. The company has denied the accusations.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed any suggestion of a political motive behind Durov’s arrest as the tech mogul spent a second day in French custody.

Later on Monday, French authorities extended his initial detention for questioning until Wednesday, according to a source close to the investigation.

Durov established Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago, and Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion.

He holds a French passport in addition to Russian nationality. According to Telegram’s press information, its founder has “dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that Moscow had received no information from France about the reasons for Durov’s detention and added, “We do not know exactly what Durov is accused of.”

Dubai-headquartered Telegram stated on Sunday that
“Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”

“Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act—its moderation is within industry standards,” the company said.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”

AFP