Pavel Durov, Founder and CEO of Telegram
| Photo Credit:
Albert Gea
Telegram billionaire Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov’s travel ban has been fully lifted by French authorities investigating him over his messaging platform.
Law enforcement are looking at whether Durov was complicit in allowing crimes to be committed on the app. Initially he was ordered to stay in France but in June Durov won an easing of the measures to allow him to make limited trips to Dubai.
The latest decision, dated November 10, fully lifts the ban on leaving France and also removes a requirement to regularly check in at a local police station, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named as the investigation is private.
In a move that caught headlines across the world, French authorities apprehended Durov in August last year as he disembarked from a private jet at a Paris airport. He was detained for four days of questioning and charged over allegations he was complicit in allowing crimes to be committed on the app. He has consistently denied the accusations.
At the time, he was made to post bail of €5 million ($5.8 million), forbidden from leaving France and ordered to check in with the authorities twice a week.
Durov, who is defended by lawyers Christophe Ingrain, David-Olivier Kaminski and Robin Binsard, declined to immediately comment through a spokesperson.
Paris prosecutors didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Published on November 13, 2025
