On Saturday morning, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov left France for Dubai, having received permission to do so from judicial authorities, who granted his request to change the conditions of his stay under judicial supervision, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports, citing informed sources.
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An investigating judge has allowed Durov to leave France for “a few weeks,” one source said. Another AFP source said Durov left Le Bourget airport on the morning of March 15 on a flight to Dubai.
Pavel Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport in Paris in August 2024. He was charged in a French court with six counts, including complicity in administering an online platform for the purpose of carrying out illegal transactions by an organized group, which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. A few days later, the businessman was released on bail of €5 million with an obligation to report to the police twice a week and a ban on leaving France.
According to the representative of the French prosecutor’s office, Maylis de Roeck, Durov may stay in France for a long time, since his case will not be transferred to court for at least a year. Maylis de Roeck noted that it is too early to talk about any kind of settlement – only a few months have passed since the arrest.