Pavel Durov is a Suspect: Lawyer

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, who was arrested on August 24 in France, is currently in a suspect status. There have been no reports of charges being brought against him yet. This was stated by French lawyer Philippe de Ville, a member of the Paris Bar Association, in an interview with a TASS correspondent.

"He is considered a suspect. From the perspective of French law, he is still presumed innocent of all the allegations against him," the lawyer noted.

De Ville added that after the detention period ends, the judge handling Durov's case could decide whether to keep him in custody to prevent the Telegram co-founder from leaving France. "A preliminary conclusion may be assigned to Durov in the context of the criminal case to ensure he does not leave the territory of the republic," the expert stated.