“As you may have heard, I have just returned to Dubai after months in France due to an investigation related to criminal activities on the Telegram. The process is still going on but it feels great to go home,” Pavel Durov announced on the Telegram, and thanked the judges for allowing him to leave France, according to AFP.
Founder of Telegram Pavel Durov in Indonesia in 2017
Pavel Durov (41 years old) was born in Russia but lived in the UAE and had nationality. He was arrested in France in August, 2024 and was detained for many days with allegations of not managing illegal contents posted by Telegram users.
After that, he paid 5 million euros on bail and was released but was banned from leaving France and had to present to the police twice a week. According to the judges’ decisions, Mr. Durov was leaving France from March 15 to April 7 and not subject to undercasting measures as before.
The arrest last year was the first time a founder of a social media company was arrested for its content on their foundation. Telegram is one of the leading applications in the world with more than 900 million regular users. Mr. Durov was charged with many allegations that did not stop the extreme content on the Telegram.
AFP quoted the interrogation record last year showing that Mr. Pavel Durov initially blamed the French authorities for not notifying Telegram for criminal activities as alleged. However, the businessman later admitted to being aware of the seriousness of all the allegations.
In the article on March 17, Mr. Durov said that Telegram over the years has not only responded but also well performed the legal obligations related to the management, cooperation and crime.
