Russian-French billionaire Founder and CEO of the Telegram Messaging App, Pavel Durov, was reportedly arrested at Bourget Airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, 24 August, 2024.
TF1 TV reports that the 39-year-old was travelling aboard his private jet, when he was arrested at about 8pm local time (6pm GMT)l
According to the report posted on their website, Durov had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation. He is expected to appear in court on Sunday, 25 August, 2024.
TF1 said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.
The encrypted Telegram, with close to one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.
The Russia-born entrepreneur lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates.
Durov, who is estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion (£12 billion), left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.
