Tag: Pavel Durov

  • Billionaire Telegram founder leaves £17 billion fortune to 106 children

    Billionaire Telegram founder leaves £17 billion fortune to 106 children

    Billionaire Telegram founder, Pavel Durov has stated that his over 100 children will inherit his £17 billion fortune.

    Recent reports confirm Pavel Durov is planning his estate. With over 100 children, including 6 from relationships and others via sperm donation, he plans to leave his $13.9 billion fortune to them, with access delayed for 30 years to encourage independence.

    Speaking, Durov disclosed that what started as a one-time sperm donation soon turned into a recurring commitment after a clinic informed him of the severe shortage of high-quality donor material.

    The self-exiled Russian technology tycoon added that, over the years, his sperm donations have helped more than a hundred couples from 12 countries build their families.

    In a recent interview with French political magazine Le Point, Durov revealed that he recently wrote his will, but none of his children — whether biological or donor-conceived — will access their inheritance until after thirty years.

    The 40-year-old added that he wants his kids to “live like normal people, to build themselves up alone”.

    “It has great importance. I wrote my will very recently, I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today,” he said.

    “I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account.

    “I want to specify that I make no difference between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations. They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear each other apart after my death.

    “Six of whom I am the official father, whom I had with three different partners. The others come from my anonymous donation. The clinic, where I started donating sperm fifteen years ago to help a friend, told me that more than 100 babies had been conceived this way in 12 countries.”.

  • Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov released after spending 4 days in police cell

    Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov released after spending 4 days in police cell

    Pavel Durov, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Telegram, has been released from police custody after four days of interrogation.

    According to CNN on Wednesday, Durov, who was seen exiting the anti-fraud office outside Paris in a police vehicle, was transferred to court for questioning ahead of a possible indictment.

    The Paris prosecutor’s office, according to the report, said the billionaire would now face “initial questioning and possible indictment” at a court in the French capital.

    The Telegram CEO was arrested by the French police at the Le Bourget airport on August 25.

    The 39-year-old was held for offences relating to the popular messaging app, according to international media.

    It was said that the CEO could face multiple charges bordering on alleged terrorism, money laundering, dr¥g trafficking, and child ab+se content.

    On August 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said Durov’s arrest was not a political move but part of an ongoing judicial investigation. “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship.

    It will remain so,” Macron had said. “In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law.

    The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil 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.”

  • France extends detention of Telegram boss, Pavel Durov

    France extends detention of Telegram boss, Pavel Durov

    French authorities have extended the detention of Telegram CEO and founder, Pavel Durov, following his arrest at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening.

    The Russian-born tech mogul was apprehended under a warrant related to alleged offenses connected to the controversial messaging app, Telegram.

     

    Durov, 39, was initially detained after arriving in Paris from Baku, Azerbaijan, where he had planned to dine in the French capital.

    He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a personal assistant at the time of his arrest.

     

    Sources close to the investigation revealed that Durov’s detention has been extended by the investigating magistrate handling the case.

    Under French law, this period of detention for questioning can last up to 96 hours, after which the judge may either release Durov or press charges and remand him in further custody.

     

    The arrest marks a significant development in Durov’s high-profile career, during which he created one of the world’s most influential messaging platforms.

    The warrant for his arrest was issued by France’s OFMIN, an office dedicated to preventing violence against minors.

    It is part of a preliminary investigation into alleged offenses including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism.

    Durov is accused of failing to take adequate measures to prevent the criminal use of Telegram.

     

    In response to the arrest, Russia has accused France of “refusing to cooperate,” while tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has publicly defended Durov.

    A spokesperson for Telegram asserted that Durov has “nothing to hide” and frequently travels in Europe. The spokesperson emphasized that Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, and stated,

    “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.”

  • Police arrest Telegram CEO, Durov in France

    Police arrest Telegram CEO, Durov in France

    Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was reportedly detained at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to French news outlets TF1 and BFM TV.

    Reuters reports that the 39-year-old was arrested under a French warrant related to an ongoing investigation into Telegram’s alleged involvement in facilitating criminal activities, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and fraud.

    The founder of the popular messaging platform’ arrest comes after he was accused by the French authorities of enabling a wide range of illegal activities without adequately moderating or cooperating with law enforcement.

    This development comes amidst growing scrutiny of Telegram’s role in providing an encrypted platform that, while protecting user privacy, is also vulnerable to misuse by criminal organizations.

    Details of Durov’s arrest shows that the warrant was activated as soon as he landed on French soil.

    Sources disclosed that Air Transport Gendarmerie took into custody the Telegram boss, accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman.

    The arrest was reportedly carried out under a search warrant issued by the French judicial police, specifically targeting Durov for his alleged role in facilitating these criminal activities via Telegram.

    As at the filing of this report, Telegram has yet to issue a statement.

    Similarly, French authorities have remained tight-lipped, with the Interior Ministry and police declining to comment on the matter.

    The National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) is reportedly overseeing the investigation.

  • Suicide bombers deploy Telegram app in Saint Petersburg bombing

    Investigation by Russia’s FSB security agency on Monday has revealed that Telegram messaging service was used by those behind the Saint Petersburg metro bombing.

    “During the probe into the April 3 terrorist attack in the Saint Petersburg metro, the FSB received reliable information about the use of Telegram by the suicide bomber, his accomplices and their mastermind abroad to conceal their criminal plans,” the FSB said in a statement.

    The FSB statement said that the terrorists used the Telegram app “at each stage of the preparation of this terrorist attack”.

    The Saint Petersburg bombing took the lives of fifteen people, and the Imam Shamil Battalion, a group suspected to have links to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility of the attack.

    Telegram is a free Russian-designed messaging app that lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000.

    It has attracted about 100 million users since its launch in 2013.

    But the service has drawn the ire of critics who say it can let criminals and terrorists communicate without fear of being tracked by police, pointing in particular to its use by Islamic State jihadists.

    The app is one of several targeted in a legal crackdown by Russian authorities on the internet and on social media sites in particular.

    Since January 1, internet companies have been required to store all users’ personal data at data centres in Russia and provide it to the authorities on demand.

    Draft legislation that has already secured initial backing in Russian parliament would make it illegal for messaging services to have anonymous users, but Telegram’s Russian chief executive, Pavel Durov feels this will compromise the privacy of the app users.

    He stressed that compromising the privacy of Telegram’s users would force them, including “high-ranking Russian officials,” to communicate via apps based in the United States like Facebook-owned WhatsApp.

    32-year-old Durov created Russia’s popular VKontakte social media site before founding Telegram in the United States.