A French judge on Wednesday opened a formal investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov for organised crime, but he can avoid pre-trial detention by posting €5 million bail.
Durov must report to the police twice a week and is prohibited from leaving France, Reuters reports.
Late Wednesday evening, Durov left the courthouse without an escort and drove away in a private car.
As the agency explains, under French law, the investigation does not mean that Durov is considered guilty or that he will stand trial. Such a decision only indicates that the judges see sufficient grounds in the case to continue the investigation. At the same time, it can last for years before it is transferred to court, or it can be closed, Reuters explains.
The judge ordered the investigation to continue and bail granted four days after Durov was arrested at a Paris airport. The maximum possible term of detention expired on Wednesday evening, 96
hours
What is Durov accused of?
Durov has been charged with all 12 crimes listed in the introductory indictment, the French prosecutor's office said in a statement in X.
These include complicity in the activities of an organised group in managing an online platform for carrying out illegal transactions (the maximum penalty for this is imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of 500 thousand euros), refusal to provide information or documents upon request from authorised bodies, and money laundering.
Law enforcement agencies in many countries, including Russia, have previously raised complaints about the lack of moderation of potentially criminal content on Telegram and the refusal to cooperate with intelligence agencies, but only in France has Durov himself been accused of this.
In Russia, where the messenger has a special role, the situation is paradoxical: Durov’s release as a victim of Europe’s “double standards” is being demanded by the authorities, who once tried (and unsuccessfully) to block Telegram for refusing to cooperate and still have not given up trying to somehow control it.
