It was detained on arrival in Paris on Saturday night, and since then, there has been more talk than action regarding his whereabouts.
“The arrest (or detention) of ‘Russia’s Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov, is one of the most important, but mysterious global news stories,” Nezavisimaya Gazeta said in its headline.
Indeed.
“Mysterious” is a bit of an understatement, though.
Why was he being held by French police? What allegations does he have? Is there any connection to his recent trip to Azerbaijan, during which he either met or did not see Russian President Vladimir Putin?
Reporters have been quoting “sources close to the investigation” regarding the offenses over the past two days.
Pavel Durov might face charges ranging from fraud to drug trafficking collusion. According to a statement released by Telegram, Mr. Durov had “nothing to hide.”.
Mr. Durov was being detained as part of an inquiry into cybercrime, the Paris prosecutor said in a statement on Monday night.
The statement listed twelve distinct offenses that were allegedly connected to organized crime and were currently under investigation.
