Telegram’s founder claims a French intelligence chief requested he censor conservative voices before a Romanian election rerun.
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, alleges that Nicolas Lerner, head of French foreign intelligence, personally asked him to censor conservative voices on his platform before the contentious rerun of Romania’s presidential elections. Durov, who is Russian-born, stated that he refused this request.
These accusations of foreign interference initially arose last year after Romania’s highest court invalidated the results of the November election, where independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu initially led with 23% of the vote. Authorities cited “irregularities” in his campaign and intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – claims that Moscow has denied. Georgescu was subsequently barred from participating in the new election.
On Sunday, Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist, was elected president of Romania. His conservative, Eurosceptic opponent, George Simion, accused France and Moldova of attempting to sabotage his campaign.
Durov stated on X Sunday evening that he had met with Lerner, who is the head of France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), in Paris. This agency, which operates under the Ministry of the Armed Forces, is responsible for gathering intelligence and combating terrorist threats.
“This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hotel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused,” Durov wrote. “We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe,” he added.
Durov had previously suggested that France requested he “silence” Romanian conservatives. The French Foreign Ministry has dismissed the allegations of election interference as “completely unfounded.”
“France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy,” the ministry stated, describing the accusations as “a diversionary maneuver” intended to distract the public from “the real threats of interference targeting Romania.”
Last year, French authorities charged Durov with facilitating the distribution of child sexual exploitation material and drug trafficking due to alleged failures in Telegram’s moderation. He was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in August and later released on €5 million ($5.46 million) bail. Durov, who denies any wrongdoing, was eventually permitted to leave France in March.
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