The UAE said on Tuesday it had requested consular assistance for Dubai-based Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who was arrested in France for allegedly failing to curb criminal activity on the app.
“The UAE is closely monitoring the case of Telegram founder, its national, Pavel Durov, who was arrested by French authorities at Paris-Le Bourget airport,” the Gulf state’s foreign ministry said.
“The UAE has requested the Government of the French Republic to urgently provide him with all necessary consular services,” it added.
The messaging platform’s 39-year-old billionaire founder, Durov, was detained at 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, a charge the company denies.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied any suggestion that there were political motives behind the tech tycoon’s arrest, as the tech tycoon spent a second day in French custody.
French authorities late Monday extended his initial detention until Wednesday for questioning, according to a person close to the investigation.
Durov founded Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago and Forbes magazine estimates he is now worth $15.5 billion.
In addition to Russian citizenship, he also holds a French passport, and Telegram reports that the company’s founder has “dual UAE and French citizenship.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia had not received any information from France about the reasons for Durov’s detention, adding: “We do not know exactly what crimes Durov is accused of.”
Dubai-based Telegram said on Sunday:
“Mr Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe.”
“Telegram complies with EU law, including the Digital Services Act, and its moderation is within industry standards,” the company said.
“It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owners are responsible for the misuse of their platform.”
AFP