It is completely absurd to think that a head of a social network such as Pavel Durov, the creator of "Telegram", could be involved in criminal acts allegedly committed through his application. This was stated by Durov's lawyer - David Olivier Kaminski, France Press reported, quoted by BTA.
"Telegram" complies with all points of the European rules in the field of digitization," added the lawyer, who together with his sister Julia Betash defends Durov.
These comments of the lawyer of the co-founder of "Telegram" were made after yesterday evening Pavel Durov was accused by the French judiciary of not acting to prevent the spread of criminal content through "Telegram". Durov was released from pre-trial detention yesterday afternoon, was questioned by an investigating judge, and finally placed under judicial control, which will prevent him from leaving France.
Accompanied by his bodyguard and his assistant, the billionaire Durov, who also has French citizenship, was detained on Saturday evening at Bourges airport outside Paris. His detention was based on an arrest warrant issued by France. Durov had just arrived from Baku when he was arrested.
According to sources familiar with the accusations against Durov, Paris already issued an arrest warrant for the billionaire and also for his brother Nikolai, who is also the founder of "Telegram". The arrest warrants were issued as part of a preliminary investigation against the two.
After being detained on Saturday evening, Pavel Durov was placed in pre-trial detention until Wednesday afternoon. After being released from pre-trial detention, he was brought to a Paris court and questioned for several hours by an investigating judge in relation to many offences, including refusing to provide necessary information in connection with the interception of messages authorized by law in France, in complicity in organized crime on its platform, such as drug trafficking, fraud, pedophilia and money laundering, etc.
After the questioning, an official investigation was launched against Durov on the aforementioned charges. He was released on bail of €5 million. He will have to report to a police station twice a week and is prohibited from leaving French territory.
In a statement on the case, the prosecutor of Paris, Laure Bequiot, explained that "Telegram" appeared in a number of court cases concerning various violations. "Telegram" moreover, he has hardly responded to judicial authorities' requests for assistance in these cases.
The detention of Durov, who lives in Dubai, has sparked lively reactions around the world. He received the support of whistleblower Edward Snowden and billionaire Elon Musk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Durov's detention as an attempt at intimidation.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron assured that Durov's arrest was not a political decision, but the result of a judicial investigation.
Durov's legal woes do not end there, however. According to judicial sources, a second investigation has been launched against Durov for serious violence against one of his children. The crime was committed in Paris in 2017. The boy now lived with his mother in Switzerland. There, she filed a complaint against Durov as early as last year, in which she accused her ex-partner of violence against one of their children.