UAE Seeks Consular Services For Arrested Telegram CEO

The UAE said Tuesday it had requested consular services for Telegramโ€™s Pavel Durov after the Dubai-based tech boss was arrested in France over alleged failings to curb criminality on the app.

โ€œThe UAE is closely following the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities in Parisโ€“Le Bourget Airport,โ€ the Gulf stateโ€™s foreign ministry said in a statement.

โ€œThe UAE has submitted a request to the Government of the French Republic to provide him with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner,โ€ it added.

Durov, the 39-year-old billionaire founder of the messaging platform, was arrested at the Paris airport late on Saturday.

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He is accused of failing to curb the spread of illegal content on Telegram, which has more than 900 million users. The company has rejected the accusations.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied there was a political aspect to Durovโ€™s arrest as the internet mogul spent a second day in French custody.

Late Monday, French authorities again extended his initial detention for questioning until Wednesday, according to a source close to the investigation.

Durov set up Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago, and Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion.

He holds a French passport in addition to Russian nationality. In its press information, Telegram says its founder has โ€œdual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and Franceโ€.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday Moscow had received no information from France about why he was detained, and โ€œwe do not know concretely what Durov is accused ofโ€.

Dubai-headquartered Telegram said on Sunday that โ€œDurov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europeโ€.

โ€œTelegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act โ€” its moderation is within industry standards,โ€ it added.

โ€œIt is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.โ€

(AFP)

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