Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has received permission to leave France for Dubai after changes to his judicial supervision terms. He departed from Le Bourget Airport near Paris with the approval of authorities.
Durov was arrested at the same airport last August and placed under formal investigation. He was released on a €5 million bail but was not allowed to leave France while the investigation was ongoing.
French authorities have charged Durov with several criminal offenses related to Telegram’s use. These charges include enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), facilitating drug trafficking, and organized fraud. Telegram is also accused of not cooperating with law enforcement by failing to provide necessary information during investigations.
Durov acknowledged the issues on the platform and promised to improve moderation practices. He appeared in a Paris court for the first time in December, where he expressed his awareness of serious problems with Telegram during his police custody. He claimed he was cooperating with French authorities and noted that they had his contact information.
During his interrogation, Durov emphasized that he did not create Telegram for criminal activities, even though the presence of such users has increased. He mentioned that the platform removes millions of user accounts and channels every month. Telegram reported its first annual net profit in late December but also faces $2 billion in debt.
In the first half of 2024, Telegram provided identifying information for over 10,000 users to authorities. However, this number is small compared to the platform’s total of 950 million users.
Recently, French authorities returned Durov’s passport, allowing him to leave the country. The TON Foundation, which supports Durov, expressed solidarity with him and praised his commitment to free speech and online privacy. Following this announcement, the value of Toncoin increased significantly.
