Telegram says arrested CEO has ‘nothing to hide’ as France reportedly extends his detention

Following the recent arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram, the company issued a statement late on Sunday saying that Durov “has nothing to hide” and that they are “awaiting a prompt resolution” of the situation.

Russian-born billionaire Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday upon his return from Azerbaijan on a private jet. He was placed in custody and is being investigated by national cybercrime agencies.

French media reported on Sunday, citing an anonymous source close to the investigation, that the initial period of Durov’s detention for questioning was extended and could last up to a maximum of 96 hours.

In a comment to Reuters on Monday, a police spokesperson said that Durov is accused of being passive regarding cyber and financial crimes committed on the Telegram platform. No further details were provided.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for the abuse of that platform,” Telegram said in a statement, adding that the company “abides by EU laws” and that “its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.”

Following Durov’s arrest, the Russian Embassy in Paris sent a note to the French Foreign Ministry demanding consular access, Russian media reported. Russian state officials were reportedly ordered to delete “sensitive chats” on Telegram and switch to another messaging app.

Despite Russia’s frequent attempts to ban Telegram in the country and censor some of its channels, Kremlin-controlled media and several Russian politicians are portraying Durov’s arrest as an attempt to “pressure freedom of speech” and suggest that the detention could be “politically motivated” and used to access Telegram user data.

In the first public statement from a French official following Durov's arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed claims on Monday that Durov’s arrest was a “political decision” and that it violates freedom of speech.

“France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication,” Macron said. “The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”

Telegram is a widely popular app, especially in Eastern Europe. Its social media-like architecture allows people to publish news, film videos, or send geographic locations on the spot.

However, its convenience is also frequently abused by hackers and other threat actors to spread malicious files and disinformation. Earlier in July, several popular Ukrainian news channels on Telegram were hacked to spread “provocative messages.” Some of the hacked channels on the messaging app had “hundreds of thousands and even millions of subscribers.”

Some cybercriminals use Telegram as a marketplace to sell their hacking tools or use the app as their command-and-control server to exfiltrate user data stolen during the attacks.