French media: Lawyer for Telegram boss Durov dismisses allegations as absurd

The French lawyer for Telegram boss Pavel Durov said it was "totally absurd to suggest that the head of a social network" such as his client could be involved in criminal acts, Franceinfo and BFM TV reported on Thursday.

"Telegram fully abides with European rules on digital. It is a moderator whose rules are similar to those of other social networks," David-Olivier Kaminski told several reporters.

A French judge put Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, but granted the entrepreneur bail on condition he pays 5 million euros ($5.6 million), reports twice a week to police and does not leave French territory.


Reuters