MOSCOW: It is hard to believe the words of French President Emmanuel Macron that there is no politics in the case against Telegram founder Pavel Durov. This was announced on September 5 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"They convince, and Macron has spoken publicly, that there is no politics here. It's very hard to believe. The line of seizing any more or less popular and significant information resources has been held for a long time," Lavrov said 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.
On September 5, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said that the situation with the founder of Telegram would not encourage Moscow and Paris to make any contacts. The Russian side is ready to provide all necessary assistance to its citizen, the Kremlin representative added.
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