Photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under a formal investigation for conducting criminal activities on the social messaging platform and will not be allowed to leave France as part of his bail agreement.

Durov was arrested on Aug. 24 in Paris by the French authorities and was under police custody. After being placed in custody for up to 96 hours, Telegram’s founder was released and transferred to court for questioning on Aug. 28. 

After being questioned by the court, French prosecutors believe there is sufficient evidence to warrant a formal investigation.

As per the report published by CNN on Aug. 28, Durov is being investigated for several suspected offenses such as complicity in illegal gang transactions, laundering of crimes in organized gangs, and refusal to communicate information to authorities.

While under formal investigation, Durov had to pay a bail set at $5.56 million and was ordered to report to the French police station twice a week. 

Durov’s arrest caught the attention of the community as many believed that French authorities were violating the freedom of expression. Several prominent figures like Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin, and Robert F. Kennedy showed their support for freeing Durov.

The Open Network (TON) community also sent an open letter to the French authorities. In the letter signed by the supporters, the TON community asked the French government to free Durov from detention and called it a “direct assault on the basic human right.” 

The TON community member also urged the French authorities to allow Telegram to “protect the freedom of expression and right to private life for its users.” At press time, more than 3.4 million members have signed the letter with the hopes that it would reach 5 million signatures.  

Read more: Paris prosecutors issue statement days after arresting Pavel Durov