President Emmanuel Macron denied that the arrest of Russian billionaire Pavel Durov was politically motivated, saying the decision on the case would belong to the courts.
“The arrest of Telegram's owner on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter," Macron wrote on social network X. He stressed that he had read "false information" about France's role in the case.
The Russian-born entrepreneur lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based.
Durov, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social platform, which he sold. | BGNES
