Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Granted Permission to Leave France and Travel to Dubai

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been granted permission to leave France and travel to Dubai. A French court permitted him to travel abroad during “several weeks

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has been granted permission by a French court to travel to Dubai.

According to a report by The Token Post, the judge granted permission for the travel to be undertaken in "several weeks" as part of modified judicial supervision programs. However, as of press time, there have been no public statements from Durov regarding this decision.

In August 2024, Durov was reportedly arrested at Le Bourget Airport in France by officers of the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF).

It was previously reported that the French authorities had placed him on the wanted persons file (FPR) because they are blaming Telegram for aiding and abetting criminal activities. After this incident, the authorities detained him for an investigation.

After several months since his arrest, the court recently granted him permission to depart from France.

Based on information obtained from three individuals with knowledge of the case, and a high-level official at the TON Foundation, it was confirmed that Durov left France on Friday, March 15th, with legal permission and that he is headed to Dubai.

A reliable source at Le Bourget Airport in Paris confirmed that Durov began his journey from the airport in the late morning hours.

Last July, Judge Grants Permission to Alter Judicial Monitoring Requirements

Shortly before his departure, the investigating judge granted permission to modify the terms of Durov’s judicial monitoring.

This was announced by the Paris-based court on July 12th. The statement from the court reads: “The Investigating Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal granted, on July 11, 2024, a request from the AOF to alter the terms of judicial supervision currently imposed on Mr. Pavel Durov.”

The French authorities also returned Durov’s travel document to him, and he gained liberty over his travel arrangements. The TON Foundation confirmed this in a statement.

This recent development comes after a series of events that unfolded throughout the year. Back in February, a French court extended an administrative detention order against Durov.

This decision was made after considering a request from the French authorities to detain Durov for an additional three months. The administrative detention was initially imposed in December 2022.

Earlier in August, a French judge placed Durov under "no contact" and "house arrest" in a "secret location" in Paris.

The Zoom court hearing was told how the crypto billionaire is being sued by French crypto exchange, Paymium, over the alleged theft of 123 Bitcoin (BTC) in 2012. At the time of the theft, the Bitcoin was reportedly worth €20,000. However, today it is worth around $400,000.

However, despite being placed under house arrest, Durov continued to post regularly on his Telegram channel. In one post, he shared his thoughts on the best way to learn a foreign language.

What Are Some Issues That Still Remain?

Among these recent developments, several issues still persist. Despite his travel plans to Dubai and his future intentions in another country, Durov has not yet made any statements about his long-term plans after leaving France for several weeks.

Also, as legal experts are keenly following any potential upcoming legal challenges that could confront him, the unfolding of this scenario is eagerly anticipated.

With the widespread use of Telegram for communication across the globe and the public interest in this case, it is likely that people will be watching to see what happens next.