French prosecutors have freed Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov from police custody after four days of questioning over allegations that the platform is being used for illegal activities.
Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said: “An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment.”
Other allegations against Durov, who is a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, fraud and abetting organised crime transactions, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
