MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s office has not made any deals with Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Peskov told a briefing that as far as he was aware, Putin had never met Durov.

A French judge put Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday for suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child sex abuse images, drug trafficking and fraud.

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Durov’s lawyer said on Thursday it was “absurd” to suggest the Russian-born tech entrepreneur should be held responsible for any crimes committed on the app.