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President Emmanuel Macron on Monday says Telegram founder, Pavel Durov’s arrest is part of an ongoing judicial investigation and has no political cause.
Durov was arrested by French police at the Le Bourget airport in Paris on Saturday, after his private jet arrived from Azerbaijan. The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to prevent the spread of illegal content on Telegram, a platform with over 900 million users.
The company has denied the allegations.
In a statement posted on his official account on X, President Macron said the allegations that the Telegram CEO was arrested based on political motives are false as the decisions relating to the issue are strictly for the state’s judiciary.
“I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov”, he wrote. “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.”
“In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law.”
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
Mr. Durov faces allegations that the messaging app enables criminality including money laundering and drug trafficking. However, Telegram has said its founder supports “Telegram financially and ideologically” and has nothing to hide.
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