Telegram founder willing to testify in Romanian court over foreign influence allegations

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has declared his willingness to testify in Romania regarding alleged foreign interference in the country’s recent presidential election.

The statement, made on the social media platform X, came in response to Romanian far-right leader George Simion, who has challenged the legitimacy of the election outcome, Caliber.Az reports.

Simion, head of the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians (AUR), lost the runoff to pro-European centrist Nicușor Dan, mayor of Bucharest, and has since asked the Constitutional Court to annul the result, citing “external interference by state and non-state actors.” Simion asserted, “Neither France, nor Moldova, nor anyone else has the right to interfere in the elections of another state.”

In a direct response, Durov stated: “I am ready to come and testify if it will help Romanian democracy.”

According to Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau, Dan won the second round with 53.6% of the vote, defeating Simion’s 46.4%. This outcome reversed Simion’s lead in the first round, where he secured nearly 41% — almost double Dan’s tally.

The runoff election saw a record turnout of 64.72%, the highest in a quarter-century and about 12 percentage points higher than the 2024 presidential race, which was annulled after AUR-affiliated candidate Călin Georgescu led the first round. Georgescu had drawn international scrutiny for his pro-Russian stance and frequent criticism of Romania’s involvement in NATO and Western support for Ukraine.

Durov's statement came amid broader controversy involving Telegram’s role in the Romanian election. Last week, he claimed Telegram’s management received a request from a “Western European government” to block conservative voices in Romania — a request the company “categorically refused.” Durov later specified the request came from French foreign intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner, a claim which the French Foreign Ministry has denied.

After the vote, Durov also alleged that French intelligence officials had sought information from him concerning Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania under the pretense of countering terrorism and child pornography. These revelations coincided with a French investigation into Telegram for insufficient content moderation and failure to cooperate with law enforcement.

Durov, who holds both French and Emirati citizenship, was arrested in France in August 2024 and indicted a month later on six charges linked to alleged illegal activities facilitated through Telegram. He has been under judicial control since then, with his travel strictly limited.

Most recently, French authorities blocked Durov’s request to travel to the United States for what he described as “negotiations with investment funds.” According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the May 12 decision was based on the conclusion that “such a trip abroad did not appear imperative or justified.” The office did confirm, however, that Durov had previously been granted permission to visit Dubai between March 15 and April 7 of this year.

By Tamilla Hasanova