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Telegram boss's legal representative dismisses probe against Durov as unreasonable

A lawyer for Telegram manager Pavel Durov, who is being examined in France, stated it was absolutely absurd to suggest the head of a social network was responsible for any criminal acts devoted on the platform, French media said.

A French judge put Durov under official investigation on Wednesday, stating he was believed of complicity in running an online platform that allows illegal deals, images of kid sex abuse and drug trafficking. He is likewise being investigated for alleged money laundering and the rejection to work together with judicial authorities.

Durov, who invested four days in cops custody following his arrest on Saturday at an airport near Paris, was granted bail on condition he pays 5 million euros ($ 5.6 million), reports two times a week to cops and does not leave French area.

His arrest has sustained dispute on where liberty of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins, and to what level tech business ought to be held responsible for social media material. Telegram is used by near a billion individuals.

It's completely unreasonable to think that the head of a social network might be involved in criminal acts that do not issue him, either directly or indirectly, legal representative David-Olivier Kaminski, who is representing Durov in France, stated in remarks to reporters brought by a number of regional media outlets.

Telegram fully abides with European guidelines on digital, he was quoted as saying.

Being placed under formal investigation in France does not suggest guilt or necessarily result in trial, however indicates judges consider there suffices evidence to proceed with the probe. Examinations can last years before being sent out to trial or shelved.

Kaminski did not instantly react to a Reuters request for remark.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is known to be an avid user of Telegram, said previously this week that Durov's arrest was in no way a political choice which the probe had actually been chosen by judicial authorities, not by the government.

Macron had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of meetings with tech entrepreneurs, a source near to the president said, and Durov was granted French citizenship in 2021 under a rare procedure for prominent people.

(source: Reuters)