Macron Invited Durov in 2018 to Move Telegram Headquarters to Paris - Reports
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron invited Telegram founder Pavel Durov to move the app's headquarters from Dubai to Paris in 2018, but he declined, US media reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Macron made the proposal during a lunch, which had not been previously reported, the people said.
The French leader also discussed granting French citizenship to Durov at the time, the newspaper reported.
Russian-born Durov, who holds citizenship in several countries including France, was detained at a Paris airport on Saturday on charges related to the criminal use of his Telegram app, including terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud, which could land the 39-year-old billionaire in prison for up to 20 years.
Macron has said that Durov's arrest was not a political decision and promised that the decision on the businessman's case will be made by judges.
