All news

Hard to believe Macron’s claim about Durov case not being politically motivated — Lavrov

Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/. It’s hard to believe French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that Telegram messenger CEO Pavel Durov’s case is not politically motivated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"Macron made a public statement that there’s no politics in the case but this is very hard to believe," Lavrov noted in an interview with RBC.

"We continue working to get as detailed and clear information as possible. However, they believe that since he holds a French passport and was detained on French soil, French laws should be applied. His French citizenship is a priority in this case," Lavrov added.

Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24. After his 96-hour police custody ended on August 28, the entrepreneur appeared in court and was indicted with six charges, including complicity in administering an online platform permitting illicit transactions by an organized group. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the charge carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros. The Telegram CEO was placed under judicial supervision and required to post bail of five mln euros. He was also ordered to report to the police station twice a week and banned from leaving France.