Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was reportedly detained at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to French media outlets TF1 and BFM TV. Durov, who was traveling on his private jet from Azerbaijan, was arrested under a French warrant linked to a preliminary police investigation into Telegram’s alleged involvement in facilitating criminal activities, as reported by Reuters.
Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, while both the French Interior Ministry and police remained silent on the matter.
TF1 reported that Durov, who was traveling from Azerbaijan, was apprehended at approximately 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
According to Bitcoinnews.com, the 39-year-old Franco-Russian entrepreneur was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman at the time of his arrest by the Air Transport Gendarmerie. Durov’s detention followed his arrival from Azerbaijan and was carried out under a French search warrant issued by the OFMIN of the French judicial police, triggered by his appearance on French soil. A source close to the investigation told the news outlet, as translated by Google:
“He made a blunder this evening. We don’t know why … Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody!”
Durov has been held by the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF). French authorities have accused Telegram of enabling various crimes, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and fraud. A source familiar with the investigation told the French news outlet:
“On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offences and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate,” the source added.
Following the news, the price of toncoin (TON) dropped significantly, trading at $5.96, down 13% from earlier in the day.
American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson also weighed in on the situation via X, highlighting the irony that Durov, who once defied the Russian government’s attempts to control Telegram, has now been detained by a Western country.
Carlson posted: “Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech.
“It was a Western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him up.
“Pavel Durov is in a French jail tonight, a stark warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the request of governments and intelligence agencies. Darkness is descending rapidly on what was once the free world.”
According to a piece by Atomic Wallet on August 16, 2024, titled “What is Toncoin (TON),” the Durov brothers, Nikolai and Pavel, were initially behind the creation of the TON network.
“In 2018, the Durov brothers, Nikolai and Pavel, aimed to create an efficient blockchain to support Telegram’s massive user base. They launched the GRAM project after raising $1.7 billion through a private ICO. The blockchain’s core components and white paper were subsequently developed. In 2019, the TON network, formerly known as Gram, was tested in preparation for its main launch,” the article explained.
Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition groups on his VK social media platform, which he later sold.
Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion by Forbes, has said that while governments have tried to pressure him, the app—which now has 900 million active users—should remain a “neutral platform” rather than a “player in geopolitics.”