Pavel Durov, Telegram founder and Chief Executive, is back in Dubai after spending more than six months of being stuck on legal charges in France, and said it felt “great to be home”.
Durov was arrested by French authorities at Le Bourget Airport north of Paris on August 24 last year, based on an arrest warrant issued by the public prosecutor’s office.
The 40-year-old was charged for Telegram’s alleged refusal to cooperate with investigations into illegal activities and later released on a US$5 million bail, and the condition that he remain in France and check in at a local police station twice a week.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov back in Dubai
On Monday, Durov said on his Telegram account: “As you may have heard, I’ve returned to Dubai after spending several months in France due to an investigation related to the activity of criminals on Telegram. The process is ongoing, but 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.
“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. There is nothing our billion-strong community can’t overcome.”
Quoting a source, French wire agency Agence France Presse said an investigating judge had authorised Durov to leave France for “several weeks”. Russian news agency TASS quoted a French prosecutor’s office source as saying “the judicial supervision obligations for Pavel Durov have been suspended for the period lasting from March 15 to April 7”.
Durov, born in Russia, has been awarded UAE and French citizenship. Telegram’s headquarters have been in Dubai since 2021.
In a September 2024 story, Wall Street Journal said, Telegram has been cooperating with the authorities following Durov’s arrest and “regularly turning over phone numbers and other information about users suspected of illegal activity”.
After his arrest, Durov had insisted that the social media platform is not “some sort of anarchic paradise”. In a post on his social media app, he blamed surging numbers of Telegram users (close to 950mat the time), which “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform”.
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