Lawyer for Telegram boss Durov rejects allegations as absurd, French media report

PARIS, Aug 29 (Reuters) – The French lawyer for Telegram boss Pavel Durov said it was “completely absurd to claim that the boss of a social network” like his client could be involved in criminal activities, Franceinfo and BFM TV reported on Thursday.

“Telegram fully complies with European rules in the digital sphere. It is a moderator whose rules are similar to those of other social networks,” David-Olivier Kaminski told several reporters.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement that the judge found there were grounds for an official investigation into Durov on all the charges on which he was arrested four days ago.

These include suspicion of complicity in operating an online platform that facilitates illegal transactions, child sexual abuse images, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as refusal to provide information to authorities, money laundering and providing cryptographic services to criminals.

Durov's lawyer did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

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