Telegram CEO Pavel Durov released in France

TELEGRAM CEO Pavel Durov has been released on probation on the condition that he pays a €5 million bail and does not leave France. Durov will reportedly sign autographs for the French police twice a week as part of an investigation into his arrest.

Pavel Durov, the CEO of messaging app Telegram, was detained in Paris on August 24 as part of an investigation into 12 crimes related to drug trafficking, the sale of child sexual abuse material and fraud on the messaging platform. After four days of questioning, French police said in a statement that Durov was released on probation on the condition that he pay a €5 million bail and not leave France. It was stated that Durov will sign autographs for French police twice a week as part of his probation. Telegram emphasized in a statement on Monday that the company’s CEO Durov “has nothing to hide” and that the app’s moderation policy is “industry standard and is constantly being improved”. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he had seen misinformation about France after the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. And it will remain so. In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are protected within a legal framework to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights, both on social media and in real life. The duty to enforce the law falls to the judiciary, with full independence. The arrest of the Telegram founder on French soil was part of an ongoing judicial investigation. This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide on this matter.

WHO IS DUROV?

Born in Saint Petersburg, technology entrepreneur Pavel Durov (39) founded the social media application VKontakte in 2006, inspired by Facebook. The value of the company, known today as VK, has reached $3 billion. In November 2013, Durov sold 12 percent of VK’s shares to MailRu owner Ivan Tavrin. MailRu then owned 52 shares of VK. In 2014, he acquired all the shares and became the owner of VK. Durov is currently known as the owner of the Berlin-based Telegram application and according to Forbes, he is the 112th richest person in the world with $17.2 billion.