Pavel Valeryevich Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founder of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested on landing in Paris on Saturday evening, But why did French police detain him? Sources close the investigation about the offences Pavel Durov may be charged with allegedly from complicity in drug-trafficking to fraud. Telegram put on statement saying Mr Durov had “nothing to hide On Monday evening, the Paris prosecutor said in a statement that Mr Durov was being held in custody as part of a cyber-criminality investigation.  The statement mentioned 12 different offences under investigation that it said were linked to organised crime, including illicit transactions, child pornography, fraud and the refusal to disclose information to authorities, the prosecutor said.

The Russian-born Billionaire was arrested at the Paris-Le Bourget airport when he arrived in the country on his private jet from Azerbaijan on Saturday according to French broadcaster TF1.

The deputy speaker of the state Duma, Vladislav Davankov said he had called on Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to secure Durov’s release. “The arrest could have political motives and be means of obtaining the personal data of Telegram users. We must not allow this”, he said.

Durov had a warrant out for his arrest in France after authorities in the country began a preliminary investigation into whether a lack of moderation on the Dubai-based platform had facilitated illegal activity including terrorism, drug peddling, money laundering and Child exploitation. The Russian Embassy in France said it had requested consular access to Durov although there was no request from his representatives.

Telegram founded in 2013, became popular recently with over 1 billion users, rivalling Meta’s WhatsApp, as an important communications tool for global leaders and a resource for sharing news and organising in geopolitical crises such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

His arrest triggers a global debate over the extent to which social media platforms and messaging apps should prioritise free speech or more tightly police the content they host.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X said “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme”.

Perhaps Telegram was used to organise and fuel the recent UK riots according to analysts.

Durov was listed on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2023 with a net worth of $11.5 billion, on 25 Ausut 2024, Durov was the 120^th richest person in the world  with a net worth of $15.5 billion according to Forbes.

Telegram CEO Pavel who miscalculated on moderation amid the rise of legislation worldwide targeting the power of tech companies, as well as growing concerns about the spread of harmful content online. His arrest is the most drastic attempt yet to hold a platform chief accountable for content, has thrust the fate of the elusive billionaire into the hands of the French judiciary at a time of polarised debate over social media’s responsibility for free speech versus online safety.

Online safety researchers have long been sounding the alarm that Telegram has become a breeding ground for criminals, hackers, disinformation pushers, conspiracy theorists and extremists fleeing the tighter restrictions on rivals such as Meta’s Facebook and Google’s YouTube.

According to Squire which monitors more than 500 out of what she describes as about 30, 000 extremists groups on Telegram said the platform had not attracted the attention of lawmakers sooner because it was based in Dubai  and self-funded by Durov, who owned a multibillion-dollar crypto fortune.Durov was dubbed the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia” after co-founding its most popular social media network ,VKontakte. Then he fled the country in 2014 after allegedly refusing to comply with Moscow’s demands for access to certain Ukrainian user data.

A French Judge has put Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under formal investigation into charges that he was complicit in organised crime  committed using the messaging app. He was released on bail after four days of police custody.