L'associé énigmatique du fondateur de Telegram a attiré l'attention.
Dans le monde de la tech, la bombe de cette semaine : Pavel Durov, le riche fondateur de l'application de messagerie Telegram, a été arrêté par la police. Il a été retenu à l'aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget samedi dernier, à peine descendu de son jet privé. Il a été libéré mercredi soir mais pourrait encore être inculpé, avec une apparition prochaine devant la justice.
Le procureur de Paris accuse Durov de divers méfaits, notamment d'implication dans une fraude, une distribution de drogue et une diffusion illégale de matériel d'exploitation sexuelle d'enfants sur Telegram, ce qui pourrait entraîner une peine de prison allant jusqu'à 20 ans.
Pourtant, un autre mystère a suscité des spéculations en ligne. En relation avec l'arrestation de Durov, une jeune femme qui l'accompagnait aurait disparu sans laisser de trace.
Son identité est Julia Wawilowa : une personnalité de streaming de 24 ans et une influenceuse crypto basée sur son profil Instagram, avec environ 32 000 abonnés.
Les liens familiaux coupés
Les détails de la relation entre Wawilowa et Durov restent flous. Certains utilisateurs de médias sociaux suggèrent qu'ils sont en couple, tandis que d'autres hypothétisent que Wawilowa pourrait être un agent qui a aidé les autorités françaises à accéder à Durov. Cependant, il n'y a pas de données concrètes pour étayer ces théories.
Il est clair, however, that Wawilowa and Durov have had prior contact and shared trips, according to Baptiste Robert, a data analyst, who provided evidence in a string of tweets. Robert has speculated that Durov has long been surveilled by multiple security agencies, and Wawilowa may have played a part in this. "It's challenging to establish if her posts directly contributed to his arrest," Robert stated to The New York Post, yet "if you followed her on social media, you could easily monitor Durov's movements."
Before her disappearance, Wawilowa posted photographs and videos showcasing outdoor activities in Azerbaijan on Instagram, last week. Robert claims Durov had also recently been in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Durov's private jet originated in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, before landing in Paris. These details have fueled rumors of Durov meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was also in Baku at the time. However, the Kremlin insists that this is not the case.
Historically, strained relations between Russia and Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, exist mainly due to debates surrounding censorship, information control, and surveillance. Having been in exile since 2014, Durov's most recent location was Dubai. It was publicly known that French authorities were seeking Durov, yet the motive behind his Paris visit last Saturday remains unclear.
As of now, Wawilowa's whereabouts remain unknown. Her Russian parents confirmed on Tuesday that they have not been able to reach her since her arrival in Paris. Was she arrested alongside Durov, or has she gone into hiding? One fact is undeniable: The uncertainty surrounding Wawilowa and her disappearance lends yet another captivating element to Durov's ambiguous case.
This exposé originated from "Finance Forward" – the magazine catering to the new financial landscape, produced in collaboration between "Capital" and OMR.
Durov's lawyers requested a copy of the telegram outlining the specific charges against him in the French court, hoping to clarify the allegations against him. Despite the mysterious disappearance of Julia Wawilowa, who was often seen traveling with Durov, no telegram has been made public yet, adding to the confusion surrounding the case.
