Telegram founder Pavel Durov allowed to leave France – despite a criminal investigation
Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegraph, no longer needs to stay in France. Sources told AFP that the investigative judge in charge of Durov’s case accepted a request to amend his supervisory status.
“You may have heard of me returning to Dubai after spending a few months in France due to investigations related to the criminal’s activity on the telegram,” Durov wrote in a message posted to him on Monday. “The process is underway, but it feels great to go home.”
Durov was arrested on August 24, 2024 after unloading a private plane at Le Bourget Airport in France. He spent four days in police custody – leading to widespread reports of arrest.
Shortly thereafter, the Paris Criminal Court, who was in charge of the investigation, explained the reason for his arrest. Most of the allegations are allegedly accomplices surrounding the telegraph founders promoting organized fraud, illegal transitions, and sharing CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on messaging and social platforms.
At that time, Durov agreed to pay €5 million bail (at the current exchange rate of $5.5 million) and check in at the police station twice a week. He was also banned from leaving France during the investigation. But these conditions have now been modified – allowing him to leave the country legally.
The Paris court did not issue a statement on the reasons for the change in Durov’s supervision conditions.
A few days after the arrest, Telegram updated its website and app to explicitly allow users to report private chats to the host. Before being arrested, the company had said “[did] Not handled with [moderating chats and group chats]. ”
Of course, with this fundamental change, the Telegram deleted millions of groups and channels.
“I want to thank the judges who investigated for letting this happen, as well as the ruthless efforts of my lawyers and team, as well as my lawyers and teams to prove that Telegraph has gone beyond its legal debt, which shows that it involves temperance, cooperation and crime fighting,” the CEO of Telegraph wrote in a further speech on the channel announced by Durov Channel.
Durov hasn’t walked out of the woods yet. Despite his cooperation, the investigation is still ongoing and could still lead to a criminal trial in France. On the plus side, at least Durov doesn’t have to file his 2025 tax in France.
