[ad_1]
Moscow has never reached any agreement with Telegram boss Pavel Durov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that he was not aware of any meetings between the tech entrepreneur and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A French judge placed the Russian-born Durov under formal investigation on charges including conspiracy to manage an online platform that facilitated illegal transactions by an organized group, refusing to communicate with authorities, criminal conspiracy to distribute images containing intimate content of children, drug trafficking and fraud.
Peskov said the case against him should not turn into a witch hunt. Moscow tried unsuccessfully to block Telegram, which has nearly 1 billion users, in 2018 and demanded the platform hand over data in the past, something Durov has said he refused to do. The case has brought Franco-Russian relations to a new low, with some pro-Kremlin figures accusing Washington of being behind Durov’s detention, something Paris denies.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron took full responsibility for granting French citizenship to Pavel Durov, CEO of the Telegram messaging app, a few days after a presidential spokesman said it was a decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I granted French citizenship to Mr. Durov, who studied French, just as I granted French citizenship to Mr. (Evan) Spiegel, an American entrepreneur, and I also grant citizenship to some athletes and artists, which I think is a very good thing and I will continue to do.” Macron made the remarks on Thursday during an unrelated visit to the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
Official records show that Durov officially received French citizenship in 2021. An in-depth report by Le Monde last year highlighted the lack of transparency on the issue. Macron also denied reports that he planned to meet with Durov. The entrepreneur has been released on the condition that he must pay 5 million euros and not leave France while the investigation continues. In addition, he must report the case to the police.
KKK News
Posts Kremlin denies agreement with Telegram chief First appeared in Ku Klux Klan.
[ad_2]
Source link
