MOSCOW August 29 (Sputnik) – Telegram CEO Pavel Durov left court in Paris after being released from custody, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.
Durov spent more than eight hours in court, after which the Paris Prosecutor’s Office announced the possibility of his release on bail.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday Durov has been placed under judicial supervision, is forbidden to leave France and must pay bail worth €5 million ($5.5 million).
Durov has not yet posted the bail requested by the French justice system, but will do so soon, his lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski told RIA Novosti.
«Yes, it [the bail] will be posted soon,» Kaminski said when asked whether the bail had been posted.
Russian-born Durov, who holds citizenship in several countries including France, was detained at Paris Le Bourget Airport on August 24. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office reported August 28 that Durov was not placed in a pretrial detention center, but was banned from leaving France. Durov is charged with complicity in administering an online platform for the purpose of making illegal transactions by an organized group and other offenses. He could face up to ten years in prison.
Kaminski reassured RIA Novosti that Telegram respects European laws and also considers the claims that the owner of the social media service is responsible for the abuses committed on it to be absurd.
«Telegram complies with European laws, including the Digital Services Act, and its moderation actions comply with industry standards. It makes no sense to say that the platform or its head are responsible for the abuses that occurred on it,» Kaminski said.
