Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is banned from leaving France due to criminal investigation

According to the Paris public prosecutor's office, Telegram founder Pavel Durov is currently under official investigation in France as part of an investigation into organized crime activities on the messaging app.

Durov, 39, was not taken into custody but is under judicial supervision and must post bail of 5 million euros (4.2 million pounds; 5.6 million dollars).

The Russian-born billionaire, who holds French citizenship, must report to a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave the country.

Durov was initially arrested after landing at Le Bourget airport near Paris last Saturday on an arrest warrant for app-related crimes.

On Wednesday, Paris prosecutors said Durov was officially under investigation for several alleged crimes, including helping an organized gang manage an online platform for illegal transactions, refusing to cooperate with authorities and complicity in the organized criminal distribution of sexual images of children.

In France, the opening of a formal investigation does not mean guilt or guarantee a trial. It does mean, however, that judges believe there is sufficient evidence to justify an investigation.

Durov has not commented publicly on the situation.

His lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski stressed that Telegram complies with European digital regulations and is moderated in a similar way to other social media platforms.

He called it “absurd” to accuse his client of having been “involved in criminal acts that neither directly nor indirectly concern him.”

This is the first time that the owner of a social media platform has been arrested due to the use of that platform, sparking a heated debate on the Internet about freedom of expression and responsibility.