French prosecutors said that they have requested more information from Switzerland over allegations that Telegram founder Pavel Durov conducted “acts of violence” against one of his children
Irina Bolgar, the former partner of the Russian-born billionaire and the child’s mother, made the claims against Durov. She filed a legal complaint in a court in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2023.
Bolgar told CNN she had a relationship with Durov between early 2013 and 2022 and that they had three children together. She and the children now live in Switzerland. “Despite the fact that the marriage was not registered, the children were officially recognized and bear the father’s last name,” she wrote on Instagram.
In a legal complaint seen by CNN, the Swiss court in Geneva said Durov’s former partner filed a complaint for alleged violence against one of their three children. CNN has reached out to Durov’s lawyers about the allegations and court case, but they declined to comment.
The ongoing case alleges that Durov harmed his youngest son five times between 2021 and 2022. In one instance, he allegedly threatened “that he would kill him,” the complaint says.
Durov, 39, was arrested at Paris’s Bourget Airport on Saturday on a warrant related to Telegram’s lack of moderation as the platform comes under scrutiny for its use by terrorist groups and far-right extremists.
The entrepreneur has found himself at the center of a media storm as he was placed under formal investigation for several offenses related to criminal activity on the messaging platform he founded. He was released from custody on Wednesday and must remain in France under judicial supervision, with a bail set at $5.56 million (5 million euros).
