Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been denied permission to leave France, where he was first arrested and currently facing several investigations, without the former authority from French authorities. According to reports, Durov recently requested to travel to the United States for “interaction with investment funds”. However, his request was rejected by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

According to Politico, the French prosecutors ruled on May 12 that the proposed American visit was “compulsory or appropriate.” The decision follows legal hurdles that Durov has been facing the arrest at a French airport in August 2024. He has been kept under strict legal control since his arrest. He was charged in September on six criminal allegations related to illegal activity on Telegram, which he co-established an encrypted messaging app.

Several allegations against the CEO of Telegram claimed that Telegram was being used as a hub for the spread of money laundering and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Russian -born entrepreneurs have citizenship in both Durov, France and the United Arab Emirates. He prevents France from leaving until specific approval is given.

However, earlier this year, French officials allowed him to travel to Dubai from 15 March to 7 April 2025. In particular, French officials arrested Durov at a French airport in August 2024.

Meanwhile, Durov’s attitude towards French authorities is also rapidly confrontation. Earlier in the year, he publicly accused the French government-Nicholas Learner, the head of the French Foreign Intelligence Agency-was asked to ask Telegram to suppress the conservative voices on the telegram. The French government rapidly denied the claim, called it baseless.

The legal problems of the CEO of Telegram come to the time of their role in comprehensive investigation on digital platforms and spreading harmful or precious content. Since Durov’s arrest, Telegram has taken steps to indicate maximum cooperation with regulators. In September 2024, the company announced that it would start sharing user IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal orders. Telegram has also participated with the Internet Watch Foundation to automatically block the CSAM link.