Telegram founder: France bans Pawel Durow from business trip to the USA
Telegram CEO under investigation in France can't leave without permission. His request to travel to the US was denied by French authorities amid ongoing probe.
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French authorities have banned Telegram founder Pawel Durow from traveling to the USA, where he wanted to negotiate with investors. This was reported by the news magazine Politico, citing a statement from the Paris public prosecutor's office. According to the report, the Paris prosecutor's office had already imposed the travel ban on 12 May because it did not appear "absolutely necessary or justified". The process is now becoming public against the backdrop of harsh accusations by Durow, who has claimed that he was asked by France's secret service to influence the presidential election campaign in Romania by making moderation decisions on Telegram. The French government has firmly denied this.
Durov vs. France
Durov was arrested in August in a high-profile operation in Paris, where the local judiciary made serious allegations in connection with the moderation of content on his messenger. It was alleged that the moderation obligations on Telegram were not sufficiently enforced and that there was a lack of willingness to cooperate with the relevant authorities to take action against criminal acts. Telegram has long been suspected of providing a haven for people with criminal intentions. Durov initially criticized the allegations and claimed that they could be made against all major social networks, but then apparently changed his mind.
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In the meantime, it appeared that Telegram and Durov personally were working more closely with the authorities. The Russian, who still holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, has admitted that he only understood the seriousness of the allegations after seeing specific cases. In March, he was granted permission to travel to the Emirates. However, he has recently attracted attention with serious accusations. He claimed that France's intelligence chief had asked him to block "conservative voices in Romania before the elections there" on Telegram: "I refused." France's government has vehemently denied this.
(mho)
