Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging service Telegram, has left France and traveled to Dubai, according to a report by the news agency AFP. The Russian-born entrepreneur, who also holds French citizenship, was granted permission to leave the country for several weeks. Durov is said to have departed from Paris Le Bourget Airport on Saturday morning, local time.
Earlier in February, the US computer magazine Wired reported, citing a prosecutor, that the IT entrepreneur would have to wait at least a year for the trial to begin. The Paris prosecutor’s office told the Russian news agency RIA Nowosti on January 28 that the date for the hearing in the case had not yet been set. According to French media, Durov was first questioned in the case in early December 2024, with the interrogation lasting around 10 hours.
Durov was arrested at the Paris airport on August 24 and later released on bail of 5 million euros. He was placed under judicial supervision, required to report to the police twice a week and was not allowed to leave France.
Durov is facing charges in 12 cases, including allegedly helping to run an online platform for illegal transactions, spreading child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering. He is also accused of lacking cooperation with the authorities. The entrepreneur could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Durov has stated that he found the French authorities’ accusations surprising, as the Telegram service had taken several measures to combat potential threats. He has also been involved in establishing a hotline between Telegram and French authorities to combat terrorism. According to Durov, countries that make claims against platforms like Telegram should sue the platforms themselves, rather than pursuing the founders through the criminal justice system.