Pavel Durov, Founder of Telegram, Leaves France as Toncoin Prices Skyrocket
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, who has been detained in France since last August, has received temporary clearance to leave for Dubai.
The news was first reported by Agence France Presse (AFP) on Saturday. Almost immediately, the cryptocurrency market reacted.
Toncoin (TON), the digital currency associated with Telegram’s Telegram Open Network (TON), experienced a significant increase in its trading volume, rising by over 15% following the announcement.
The TON token, currently priced at $3.34, plays a crucial role in Telegram’s blockchain projects.
Additionally, Notcoin (NOT), a token linked to a widely-used tap-to-earn mini-app on the platform, also witnessed a surge, climbing by over 12.7% at the time of this report.
Durov, a billionaire Russian expatriate who established the messaging app Telegram in 2013, is facing multiple charges related to allegedly facilitating organized crime.
According to AFP, unnamed sources indicate that authorities permitted Durov to travel to Dubai following a decision by an investigating judge who recently approved a modification of his supervision conditions.
At the age of 40, Durov is under investigation for several offenses, including accusations of terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and child abuse content on the Telegram platform.
His detention began in August after his indictment, which prohibited him from leaving the country.
Durov addressed these legal issues in a statement on his official Telegram channel in September. He expressed his astonishment regarding the charges and criticized French authorities for bypassing official communication protocols with Telegram’s EU representative, opting to question him directly instead. He argued that holding a CEO accountable for crimes allegedly committed by others on a platform—especially one that existed before the smartphone era—was a “misguided approach.”
In his statement, Durov also defended Telegram’s moderation policies, emphasizing the platform’s ongoing efforts to eliminate harmful content and its established partnerships with NGOs for urgent cases. Despite the legal challenges, he reiterated his commitment to safeguarding the vast user base of Telegram, which now approaches one billion users.
As the investigation progresses, Durov’s legal challenges are expected to attract significant attention, especially as Telegram’s cryptocurrency efforts continue to evolve.
The potential long-term implications of these recent legal developments on Telegram’s operations or the valuation of its associated tokens remain uncertain.