PARIS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A lawyer for Telegram boss

Pavel Durov, who is being investigated in France, said it was

"totally absurd" to suggest the head of a social network was

responsible for any criminal acts committed on the platform,

French media said.

A French judge put Durov under formal investigation on

Wednesday, saying he was suspected of complicity in running an

online platform that allows illicit transactions, images of

child sex abuse and drug trafficking. He is also being

investigated for alleged money laundering and the refusal to

cooperate with judicial authorities.

Durov, who spent four days in police custody following his

arrest on Saturday at an airport near Paris, was granted bail on

condition he pays 5 million euros ($5.6 million), reports twice

a week to police and does not leave French territory.

His arrest has fuelled debate on where freedom of speech

ends and enforcement of the law begins, and to what extent tech

companies should be held responsible for social media content.

Telegram is used by close to a billion people.

"It's totally absurd to think that the head of a social

network could be involved in criminal acts that do not concern

him, either directly or indirectly," lawyer David-Olivier

Kaminski, who is representing Durov in France, said in comments

to reporters carried by several local media outlets.

"Telegram fully abides with European rules on digital," he

was quoted as saying.

Being placed under formal investigation in France does not

imply guilt or necessarily lead to trial, but indicates judges

consider there is enough evidence to proceed with the probe.

Investigations can last years before being sent to trial or

shelved.

Kaminski did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is known to be an avid

user of Telegram, said earlier this week that Durov's arrest was

"in no way a political decision" and that the probe had been

decided by judicial authorities, not by the government.

Macron had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of

meetings with tech entrepreneurs, a source close to the

president said, and Durov was granted French citizenship in 2021

under a rare procedure for high-profile individuals.

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