Less than 24 hours after his indictment, we know a little more about what Telegram boss Pavel Durov told investigators. According to a source close to the case contacted by AFP, the Franco-Russian billionaire asked to have Free boss Xavier Niel notified of his custody on Saturday evening.
Accompanied by his bodyguard and his assistant, the 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire founder of the courier company was arrested Saturday evening in the Bourget airport terminal (north of Paris) under a French search warrant, then taken into custody. Pavel Durov was arriving from Baku (Azerbaijan) and was due to spend at least the evening in Paris, where he had planned to have dinner.
When being notified of his placement in police custody, the accused may notify his lawyer for assistance, request a doctor, remain silent and notify a person of his choice of his situation, in particular.
Pavel Durov has asked to notify billionaire Xavier Niel, founder of the telecommunications group Iliad, parent company of the operator Free, a source close to the case told AFP. Contacted by AFP, Xavier Niel’s entourage has not yet responded. The founder of Iliad is one of the big bosses close to President Emmanuel Macron.
At least one meeting with Macron
According to another source close to the case, Pavel Durov mentioned during his police custody his links with the head of state in particular. The two men know each other because they had lunch together at least once: in 2018, confirms the Elysée. According to THE Wall Street Journal, The project to set up Telegram’s headquarters in France was on the agenda of this interview.
The newspaper The World goes further by saying that the founder of Telegram came to France very regularly, and met Emmanuel Macron several times. The French president assured Monday that the arrest of Pavel Durov is “in no way a political decision” but is “part of a judicial investigation”, adding that France is “committed to freedom of expression and communication”.
Heavy judicial control
Early Wednesday afternoon, Pavel Durov was brought before an investigating judge who charged him with “refusing to communicate information necessary for interceptions authorized by law”, complicity in offenses and crimes organized on the platform (drug trafficking, pedophilia, fraud and money laundering in an organized gang) and “provision of cryptology services aimed at ensuring confidentiality functions without a proper declaration”.
Released, Pavel Durov is subject to strict judicial supervision with an obligation to pay bail of five million euros, to report twice a week to a police station and to be banned from leaving French territory.