Telegram's Pavel Durov departs France for Dubai with permission from judge, as TON gains 20%
Quick Take
- Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested last August in France on charges related to his messaging app, temporarily departed the country for Dubai, according to reports.
- Toncoin (TON) gained 20% on the news, as TON Foundation celebrated the development.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been granted permission to temporarily leave France and has departed the country for Dubai, French outlet France24 reported on Sunday.
Durov was originally arrested last August by France's National Anti-Fraud Office, which detained him in an airport and later indicted him on charges related to his "complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes such as drug trafficking on the messaging app," placing him under judicial supervision and requiring that he remain in the country.
"TON Foundation is delighted to learn that Pavel Durov's passport has been returned to him by French authorities, granting him the freedom to leave the country at his discretion," TON Foundation wrote on X. TON, which stands for The Open Network, is a blockchain platform created with the aim of integrating cryptocurrency and blockchain functionality into the Telegram ecosystem.
The price of TON has risen about 20% in the past 24 hours, according to The Block's Toncoin Price Page, as the token's price reacts to news of Durov's release from France. According to France24, Durov was authorized to leave the country for "several weeks," though he remains charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content on the messaging app.
The blockchain is known for its array of popular Telegram mini-app games, which helped boost the number of accounts on the network from 4 million to 128 million over the course of 2024. TON is now eyeing further growth in the U.S. with the help of its new president.
"Glad Pavel could return home today," Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino wrote on X.
Durov confirms Dubai return
Durov later confirmed his return to Dubai in a Monday post via his official Telegram channel, noting that while the investigation related to the activity of criminals on the popular messaging platform continues, "it feels great to be home."
"I want to thank the investigative judges for letting this happen, as well as my lawyers and team for their relentless efforts in demonstrating that, when it comes to moderation, cooperation and fighting crime, for years Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations," Durov said.
"I'm also deeply grateful for the millions of people around the world who have shown their support throughout this unexpected journey — it has meant a lot," he added.
Updated on March 17 with comment from Durov.
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