テレグラム創業者逮捕に「政治的」背景ない フランス大統領

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】フランスのエマニュエル・マクロン大統領は２６日、同国警察が通信アプリ「テレグラム」の創業者で最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）のパーベル・ドゥロフ容疑者（３９）を逮捕したことについて、政治的な背景はないと否定した。（写真は通信アプリ「テレグラム」創業者で最高経営責任者〈ＣＥＯ〉のパーベル・ドゥロフ氏。米カリフォルニア州サンフランシスコで）
　ドゥロフ容疑者は２４日にパリ近郊の空港で逮捕され、２日間にわたって拘束されている。情報筋によると、拘束は２８日まで延長された。当初９６時間の拘束期間が終了した段階で、予審判事が釈放するか、起訴して拘束を続けるかを判断する。
　逮捕のタイミングや拘束の状況をめぐり、問題視する声が上がっているが、マクロン氏はＸ（旧ツイッター）に、今回の逮捕は「継続中の司法捜査の一環として行われた」とし、「誤情報」が広がっていることに懸念を示した。
　さらに、「政治的な決定では決してない。処分を決めるのは裁判官だ」と述べた。
　情報筋によると、ドゥロフ容疑者はここ数年はドバイを拠点としている。２４日はアゼルバイジャンの首都バクーからパリに飛び、夕食を取る予定だったという。
　他方でロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン大統領が１８日と１９日にアゼルバイジャンを国賓訪問しているが、ロシア大統領府のドミトリー・ペスコフ報道官は、両者は会っていないとしている。
　最大の問題の一つは、ドゥロフ容疑者がフランスで指名手配されていることを知っていた可能性が高いにもかかわらず、なぜ渡仏したかだが、別の情報筋は「おそらく処罰されないとの感触を得ていたのだろう」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/08/27-18:10）

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday denied any political link to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov as the tech tycoon spent a second day in French custody following his surprise arrest at a Paris airport.
Numerous questions have been raised about the timing and circumstances of Durov's detention, which a source close to the case said had been extended until Wednesday.
The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to curb the spread of illegal content on Telegram, which has over 900 million users. The company has rejected the accusations.
Born in Soviet times into a family of academics in Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, Durov spent his childhood in Italy before building up Russia's then biggest social network VKontakte (VK) in his early 20s.
He set up Telegram after leaving Russia a decade ago, and Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion.
In a post on X to address what he called false information concerning the case, Macron said Durov's arrest 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, he wrote in a highly unusual comment on a legal case.
Durov holds a French passport in addition to his Russian nationality.
- 'Nothing to hide' -
Late on Monday, French authorities again extended his initial detention for questioning until Wednesday, according to a source close to the investigation.
When the initial 96-hour questioning period ends, the investigating magistrate can either free Durov or press charges and remand him in custody.
Durov, who has been based in Dubai in recent years, arrived in Paris from the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and was planning to have dinner in the French capital, a source close to the case said.
He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a personal assistant who always travel with him, added the source, asking not to be named.
One key question is why Durov flew into France when he would have likely been aware he was wanted in the country. Perhaps he had a feeling of impunity, said one source close to the case, asking not to be named.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Baku on a state visit to Azerbaijan on August 18 and 19, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the two had met.
Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
France's OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, another source said.
Telegram said in response that Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act -- its moderation is within industry standards, it added.
It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.
- 'Enforce the law' -
Telegram has positioned itself as a neutral alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticised for their commercial exploitation of users' personal data.
It also plays a key role since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, used actively by politicians and commentators on both sides of the war.
But critics accuse it of hosting often illegal content ranging from extreme sexual imagery to disinformation and also narcotics services.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Moscow had received no information from France on why Durov was detained, saying we do not know concretely what Durov is accused of.
Elon Musk, who leads the Tesla car group and X, formerly Twitter, posted the hashtag #FreePavel on his platform and commented in French, Liberte Liberte! Liberte? (Freedom Freedom! Freedom?).
Macron said that while France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, such freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life.
It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law, he said.