Telegram founder and chief Pavel Durov was transferred to a courthouse in Paris on Wednesday where he may be formally charged, a source close to the case against the billionaire told AFP.
The Russian-born tech entrepreneur was arrested at the French capital’s Le Bourget airport late Saturday on suspicion of failing to act against illicit content on the Telegram messaging app, allegations the company denies.
After almost four days of questioning by French investigators, Durov was handed over to judicial authorities who will decide further measures, according to the source.
A Paris magistrate will decide whether to press charges against the Telegram founder, and a court will then rule on whether to remand him in custody or let him go free, possibly with restrictions on his movements.
Durov is being investigated on suspicion of 12 offenses related to failing to curb extremist and criminal content on Telegram, sources close to the investigation have said.
Questions have arisen about the timing and circumstances of Durov’s detention, with supporters seeing him as a freedom of speech champion and detractors as a menace who wilfully allowed Telegram to get out of control.
Le Monde reported Wednesday that the billionaire met French President Emmanuel Macron on several occasions before receiving French citizenship in 2021, via a special procedure reserved for those deemed to have made a special contribution to the country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that at one such lunch in 2018, Macron, who along with his team was in the past an avid user of Telegram, suggested the company should be headquartered in Paris. Durov allegedly refused to relocate his business.
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