Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov made his first public statement since his arrest, saying French authorities should have filed complaints against his company instead of arresting him.
He did not admit that there was “anarchy” on the app, and instead called the allegations against him “a surprise” and the situation itself “surprising” because, according to his post, the French authorities had access to a hotline that he helped set up, and they could contact Telegram’s EU representative at any time.
“If a country is unhappy with an Internet service, it is standard practice to file a lawsuit against that service,” he wrote, “We remove millions of malicious posts and channels every day.”
- Billionaire Durov, who has citizenship of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested on August 24. To him charged for several crimes. The French prosecutor’s office claims that he refused to provide law enforcement with information necessary for the investigation of serious crimes, was involved in cybercrimes and money laundering. In total, French investigators suspect Durov of 6 different crimes.
- Pavel Durov was released on bail of 5 million euros, without the right to leave the territory of France, he is also obliged to report to the police twice a week.
