Telegram boss to leave fortune to over 100 children he fathered

The founder of the Telegram instant messaging application, Pavel Durov, says that more than 100 children he has generated will share his fortune estimated at $ 13.9 billion (10.3 billion pounds sterling).

“These are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don’t want them to tear themselves away after my death,” Mr. Durov told French political magazine the point.

Mr. Durov says he is the “official father” of six children with three different partners, but that he has more than 100 other children after donating sperm to a fertility clinic.

He also reiterated that he denies any reprehensible act in relation to serious criminal charges He faces in France.

The Russian Self-Exiled Technology Morning also told the magazine that his children would not have access to their inheritance for 30 years.

“I want them to live like normal people, build themselves, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to depend on a bank account,” he said.

The 40 -year -old said that he had written a will now because his work “involves risks – the defense of freedoms brings you many enemies, including in powerful states”.

Its application, Telegram, known for its accent on confidentiality and encrypted messaging, has more than a billion monthly active users.

Durov also addressed criminal charges he faced in France, where he was arrested last year after being accused of not having moderate the application correctly to reduce crime.

He denied having failed to cooperate with the police concerning drug trafficking, the content of sexual abuses on children and fraud. Telegram previously denied having insufficient moderation.

In the interview with Le Point, he described the accusations as “totally absurd”.

“It is not because criminals use our messaging service among many others do not make those who manage criminals,” he added.

Get our flagship newsletter with all the titles you need to start the day. Register here.