Telegram boss and founder Pavel Durov has been placed under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime on the messaging app, Paris prosecutors say.
Mr Durov, 39, has not been remanded in custody – but placed under judicial supervision and has to pay a €5m (£4.2m; $5.6m) deposit.
Russian-born Mr Durov, who is also a French national, also has to show up at a French police station two times a week and is not allowed to leave French territory.
He was first detained upon arrival at Le Bourget airport north of Paris last Saturday under a warrant for offences related to the app.
In Wednesday’s statement, the Paris prosecutors said Mr Durov was put under formal investigation over alleged offences that included:
- Complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organised gang
- Refusal to communicate with authorities
- Complicity in organised criminal distribution of sexual images of children
In France, being put under formal investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily result in a trial – but it indicates that judges consider there is enough of a case to proceed with an investigation.
Mr Durov has so far made no public comments on the latest developments.
