Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was released on Wednesday but not freed. The Russian-born billionaire was released from police custody but transferred to Court for further questioning. In a statement, a French prosecutor disclosed that Durov is still under judicial investigation and cannot leave France.
Durov gets bail
Durov was released from police custody earlier in the day on bail of $5.56 million, nearly 5 million euros. He was also instructed to report twice a week to the French police and barred from leaving French soil. The formal judicial investigation was announced in the evening. Notably, when placed under judicial investigation, it does not necessarily imply guilt or trial charge; however, it may favor a serious investigation.
No response to Court requests
Durov has not been formally charged. Although he was detained by the French government under 12 charges, at the time of release from police custody, six of the charges were removed. Currently, he has to prove innocence on other charges that include drug trafficking, distribution of sexual images of minors, and online hate speech.
Reportedly, the French National Office for Minors stated to the prosecutor’s office that it did not receive a response to the official Court requests sent to the Telegram platform. However, a probe is being conducted to find if someone had used the Telegram platform to perform these activities illegally. If convicted, the accused would face a jail term of 10 years.
Notably, under French law, Durov was placed in custody for the maximum time, remarkably 96 hours, which implies four days, before being charged. He was arrested on August 24.
Telegram Open Network Disrupted by DOGS Memecoin LaunchDevelopment of Toncoin
Toncoin, a Telegram token that faced a serious disruption on Wednesday, is slowly gaining momentum. The Telegram Wallet posted on its official TG channel that the TON Network is fully operational. Additionally, it confirmed that the TON-based asset withdrawals and wallet deposits will be credited in due course.
At press time, Toncoin’s price is $5.54, and its trading volume is $1,390,476,021, representing a spike of 3.97% in the last 24 hours. With a circulating supply of 2,534,779,918 TON, the market cap stands at $14,035,973,445.
