Telegram on Sunday questioned the grounds for France’s detention of chief executive officer Pavel Durov, the messaging app’s billionaire co-founder who was taken into custody at a Paris airport over the weekend.

Durov, 39, was detained at Le Bourget on Saturday on suspicion of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). His original detention was extended by 24 hours late on Sunday, a judicial official said.

Telegram issued a statement on its platform and on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the Dubai-based company abides by European laws, including the Digital Services Act, and that Durov has “nothing to hide”.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” according to the statement. “We are awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”

Durov lives in Dubai and is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Telegram website. He hasn’t previously commented on whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship.

Russia’s embassy in Paris said it asked “French authorities for an explanation of the reasons and demanded that they ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access”. Embassy officials are in touch with Durov’s lawyer, according to the statement.

France’s Ofmin, an agency set up to combat violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, AFP reported. Ofmin is the coordinating agency in a preliminary probe into alleged offences such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, according to AFP.

Toncoin, a cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, sank as much as 23% on news that Durov was in custody.

Telegram was created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician. It has about 900 million active users and is one of the most popular messaging apps. Its relatively light-touch approach to content moderation has led to allegations that it’s frequently used for criminal activity and extremist material.

The Durov brothers made their fortune from creating the Russia-based social network VKontakte in 2006. That platform quickly became popular among Russians, making it a target for a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin. 

Durov fled the country in 2014 and sold his stake in VKontakte. He has a net worth of more than US$9 billion , according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov discussed the pressure he faced from Russian authorities while running VKontakte and the scrutiny of Telegram by law enforcement agencies around the world. 

“I would rather be free. I wouldn’t want to take orders from anyone,” Durov said during the interview.  

  - Bloomberg