Telegram founder Pavel Durov allowed to leave France temporarily

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been granted a temporary leave from France amid charges of aiding organised crime, according to AFP which quoted sources as saying. “He departed France this morning,” a source said. 

Pavel Durov has reportedly left France with the authorities' permission after an investigating judge gave him permission to leave the country for “several weeks”. A third source said Durov had departed for Dubai.

Pavel Durov, 40, was charged by French prosecutors in August over crimes linked to the app, including distributing sexually explicit images of children. The Telegram has denied the allegations.

The news agency reached out to Telegram but the company spokesperson declined to comment. The company would later issue a statement.

The investigating judge accepted Pavel Durov's request to modify conditions of his supervision several days ago, said the source close to the case.

In August 2024, Pavel Durov was dramatically detained at Le Bourget airport near Paris and faced multiple charges linked to his messaging app. Authorities imposed a travel ban, restricting him from leaving France.

After days of questioning, he was charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content and released on a five-million-euro ($5.6 million) bail.

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Durov -- who holds Russian, French and United Arab Emirates passports -- initially criticised his arrest, but he has since announced steps appearing to bow to Paris's demands.

In January, the Telegram founder told investigating magistrates in France that he "realised the seriousness of all the allegations", according to a source.

(With AFP inputs)