DailySun
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram who has been held in France since last August, has been granted temporary permission to travel to Dubai.
This news was initially reported by Agence France Presse (AFP) on Saturday, prompting an immediate reaction from the cryptocurrency market.
Toncoin (TON), which is the digital currency tied to Telegram’s Telegram Open Network (TON), saw a considerable boost in trading volume, climbing by more than 15% following the announcement.
The TON token, currently valued at $3.34, plays an essential role in Telegram’s blockchain initiatives.
Moreover, Notcoin (NOT), a token associated with a widely-used tap-to-earn mini-app on the platform, experienced an increase of over 12.7% at the time of this report.
Durov, a billionaire Russian expatriate who launched the messaging app Telegram in 2013, is facing several charges related to allegedly enabling organized crime activities.
According to AFP, anonymous sources reported that Durov was allowed to travel to Dubai following a ruling by an investigating judge who recently agreed to modify his supervision conditions.
At 40 years old, Durov is being investigated for a range of offenses, including accusations of terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and child abuse materials on the Telegram platform.
His detention commenced in August after his indictment, which barred him from leaving the country.
Durov spoke about these legal issues in a statement on his official Telegram channel in September. He expressed his disbelief regarding the charges and criticized French authorities for circumventing official communication channels with Telegram’s EU representative, choosing to interrogate him directly instead. He contended that holding a CEO accountable for crimes allegedly committed by others on a platform—particularly one that predated the smartphone era—was a “misguided approach.”
In his statement, Durov also defended Telegram’s moderation practices, highlighting the platform’s ongoing efforts to eradicate harmful content and its partnerships with NGOs for urgent cases. Despite the legal challenges, he reaffirmed his commitment to protecting Telegram’s vast user base, which is nearing one billion users.
As the investigation continues, Durov’s legal troubles are likely to draw significant attention, particularly as Telegram’s cryptocurrency initiatives keep evolving.
The potential long-term effects of these recent legal developments on Telegram’s operations or the value of its associated tokens remain uncertain.
