NEW YORK, August 28. /TASS/. The Swiss authorities are investigating Telegram founder Pavel Durov following allegations from his former partner Irina Bolgar that he abused one of their children, Forbes reported.
According to the publication, the lawsuit was filed in March 2023 in Geneva. It asserts that Durov "was physically violent towards one of his three children." Bolgar also filed a civil lawsuit for custody of the children, accusing the Telegram founder of refusing to meet with them in September 2022 and going back on his word to pay monthly child support of €150,000.
According to Forbes, the court in Geneva initially declined to hear the criminal suit because more than three months had passed since the alleged violence by Durov. Bolgar filed an appeal in May 2023, and in October the court accepted the suit for review. The case is still open, a court spokesperson pointed out. It also states that Durov "harmed his youngest son, born in September 2017, five times between 2021 and 2022;" allegedly, the incidents "resulted in injuries including a concussion and sleep disorders." A correspondence between Durov and Bolgar dated November 2021 and a medical report from April 2023 were attached to the case as evidence.
Bolgar's attorney confirmed to Forbes that the woman and her three children participated in the proceedings. He also reported the start of proceedings on another civil suit in June 2024, which concerns the child support payments. Durov's representative declined to provide comments to Forbes. As for the civil suit, a ruling in the case was handed down in May 2023, giving Bolgar sole custody of the children. Durov did not contest it.
According to the publication, Bolgar and Durov met in 2012 in Russia and lived together in St. Petersburg. They split up in 2018 without registering their marriage, but continued to meet from time to time in different world countries. Durov, however, agreed to pay Bolgar €150,000 each month in child support. In 2019, Bolgar moved to Latvia, and in 2020 to Switzerland.
Durov’s detention
Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24; his custody was extended to 96 hours the next day. The Paris prosecutor’s office suspects him of complicity in drug trafficking, fraud crimes against children committed through Telegram.
The Russian embassy in France said diplomats had demanded that Durov’s rights be protected and he be provided with consular access. "So far, the French authorities have been evading cooperation on the matter," the embassy added.