Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, not has to remain in France. A supply advised AFP that the investigating decide accountable for Durov’s case has accepted a request to switch the circumstances of his supervision.
“As you might have heard, I’ve returned to Dubai after spending a number of months in France because of an investigation associated to the exercise of criminals on Telegram,” Durov wrote on Monday in a message posted to his Telegram channel. “The course of is ongoing, however it feels nice to be dwelling.”
Durov was arrested on August 24, 2024, after he stepped off a personal jet at France’s Le Bourget Airport. He spent 4 days in police custody — resulting in widespread protection of his arrest.
Shortly afterward, the Paris prison courtroom, which is accountable for the investigation, defined the explanations for his arrest. Most of the costs revolve across the Telegram founder allegedly being complicit in facilitating organized fraud, unlawful transactions, and the sharing of CSAM (youngster sexual abuse materials) on the messaging and social platform.
At the time, Durov agreed to pay a €5 million bail ($5.5 million at present trade charges) and to verify in at a police station twice per week. He was additionally barred from leaving France through the investigation. But these circumstances seem to have been modified now — enabling him to depart the nation legally.
The Paris courtroom didn’t launch a press release concerning the explanations for adjustments to Durov’s supervision circumstances.
A number of days after his arrest, Telegram up to date its web site and app to explicitly permit customers to report non-public chats to its moderators. Before the arrest, the corporate had mentioned that it “[did] not course of any requests associated to [moderating chats and group chats].”
Following this radical change after all, Telegram eliminated hundreds of thousands of teams and channels.
In additional remarks on Durov’s channel asserting his arrival in Dubai, the Telegram CEO wrote: “I wish to thank the investigative judges for letting this occur, in addition to my attorneys and crew for his or her relentless efforts in demonstrating that, in the case of moderation, cooperation, and preventing crime, for years Telegram not solely met however exceeded its authorized obligations.”
Durov isn’t out of the woods simply but. Despite his cooperation, the investigation stays ongoing and it might nonetheless result in a prison trial in France. On the plus aspect, a minimum of Durov — who moved to Dubai in 2017 partially for its tax-free zone — received’t should file his 2025 taxes in France.
