Durov released from custody on bail of five million euros, not allowed to leave France

(Patria) - Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under official investigation and will not be allowed to leave France, a French prosecutor stated yesterday, reports RSE.

Durov, who was born in Russia, has been placed under judicial supervision, with bail set at five million euros, and will be required to report to a police station twice a week.

He was released from police custody and transferred for questioning at the court earlier yesterday, prosecutors said, a few days after his arrest at an airport near Paris.

The Paris prosecutor's office announced that he will undergo "preliminary questioning and possible indictment" at a court in the French capital.

France's OFMIN, the office responsible for preventing violence against minors, reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged criminal offenses, including fraud, drug trafficking, online harassment, organized crime, and promoting terrorism.

Politico reported yesterday that an arrest warrant was also issued for his brother Nikolai in March over the charges.

Telegram stated that Durov, a billionaire who holds citizenship of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, "has nothing to hide" and "expects a swift resolution to this situation".

Moscow expressed outrage over what appeared to be a "direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication," while the Kremlin said the charges against Durov were "very serious" and that "equally serious evidence" was needed to dispel many people's suspicions that the billionaire's arrest was politically motivated.

French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to allay such suspicions, stating that Durov's arrest was simply part of an independent investigation.

The Dubai-based Telegram app has over 900 million users worldwide.

In his first major interview in seven years, given to American conservative media personality Tucker Carlson on April 17, Durov pledged that Telegram aims to be a "neutral platform," not a "player in geopolitics".

However, critics in Ukraine say it spreads disinformation and facilitates illegal activities. Some accuse Telegram of having ties to the Russian state and contributing to its war efforts.

Russia temporarily restricted access to Telegram in 2018. The decision was made after the messaging app allegedly refused to provide the Russian security agency FSB with encryption keys for user correspondence, citing the confidentiality of correspondence guaranteed by the Russian Constitution.

The decision to block the app was sharply criticized by many Russian public figures, as well as critics of the Russian government. However, reports from independent Russian media indicate that Telegram reached a compromise with the authorities and has been sharing some data with security services for several years, although Telegram has denied this.