French Republican defender in the courtyard of the Elysée Palace, 2025. © Telmo Pinto / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images
Telegram founder Pavel Durov claims that French abroad intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner personally asked him to censor conservatives on his platform before a controversial replay of the Romanian presidential election.A Russian-born entrepreneur said he refused.
The accusations of abroad interference first appeared last year, after Romania's ultimate Court annulled the results of the November election, in which the independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu ranked first with 23%.Authorities have cited ‘irregularities’ in his campaign, as well as for intelligence reports about Russian interference – these claims were denied by Moscow.
Georgescu was later excluded from restarting.On Sunday, pro-European centre Nicosor Dan was elected president of Romania.
His conservative, Eurosceptic opponent George Simion accused France and Moldova of trying to sabotage his campaign.In a post on X on Sunday night Durov said he met with Lerner, head of the French Directorate-General for External safety (DGSE), in Paris.
The agency operating under the Ministry of Armed Forces is tasked with collecting intelligence and combating terrorist threats."This spring at the Salon des Batailles in Hotel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative votes in Romania before the elections.
I refused” “ Durov wrote.
"We did not block protesters in Russia, Belarus or Iran.
We will not start doing this in Europe."Durov had previously suggested that France had asked him to ‘silence’ Romanian Conservatives.
The French Ministry of abroad Affairs rejected accusations of interference in elections as ‘totally unfounded’."France categorically rejects these accusations and calls on everyone to take work and respect for Romanian democracy" – declared the Ministry, calling accusations ‘a distraction’ to distract the public from ‘real threats of interference in Romania’.Last year, the French authorities accused Durov of facilitating the distribution of kid sexual abuse and drug trafficking material due to alleged deficiency of moderation in Telegram.
He was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in August and then released on bail of EUR 5 million (5.46 million).
Durov, who denies any irregularities, yet received approval to leave France in March.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/617811-durov-names-french-spy-chief/
