Telegram CEO Durov released on bail, but formally put under investigation

 Paris, Aug 29: Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging service Telegram, was released after paying a five-million-euro (about $5.6 million) bail, but he is required to report to the police twice a week, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.

Durov is officially placed under investigation on six charges and he was prohibited from leaving France during the investigation, Beccuau added on Wednesday night as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Durov was arrested by French Police at an airport outside Paris on Saturday night. Beccuau said on Monday that the Telegram founder is accused of 12 criminal offences, including failing to act against Telegram users involved in cyberbullying, sharing pedophilic content and glorifying terrorism.

He added the arrest "comes in the context of a judicial investigation opened on July 8, 2024". It also concerns "refusal to communicate, at the request of competent authorities, information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating interceptions allowed by law," the Paris prosecutor said.

In response to the arrest, the Telegram group said on its X account that the company "abides by European Union (EU) laws, including the Digital Services Act". "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform," it added.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the arrest of Durov is "in no way a political decision". Durov's arrest in France "took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation," Macron said on social media platform X.

After the arrest, Russia's embassy in Paris has referred a note to the French Foreign Ministry demanding consular access to Durov, the TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, owner of the US social media platform X, and Edward Snowden, former US National Security Agency contractor, condemned Durov's arrest on Sunday. --IANS int/khz