Macron Addresses Durov's Presence In France Amid Legal Proceedings

According to Cointelegraph, French President Emmanuel Macron clarified during his diplomatic visit to Serbia on August 29 that he did not invite Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov to France and was unaware of his visit. Macron stated, "As far as I'm concerned, I was absolutely unaware of Mr. Durov's coming to France. And this is quite normal because I have not been aware of the coming of nationals from all over the world whether they have French nationality or not. Macron emphasized that Durov’s case would be managed by the independent French justice system. The French President has faced international criticism for the decision to arrest Durov but insisted that the detention of the Russian tech entrepreneur was not politically motivated. Durov is currently out on a 5 million euro bail but is required to stay within France and report to law enforcement officials bi-weekly. This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.