Pavel Durov Returns to Dubai After Leaving France to Escape Investigation

The founder of the popular messenger has left France and returned home to Dubai, where Telegram's headquarters are based.

Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messenger, has left France and returned home to Dubai, where Telegram’s headquarters are based. Rumors of his dismissal surfaced on March 15, and on March 17, he personally confirmed this information.

“I'm pleased to announce that, after several months in France linked to an investigation into the activity of criminals on Telegram, I have returned home to Dubai. The process is ongoing, but I feel grateful for this development and for the fantastic work of my team and lawyers in highlighting to the investigative judges that, in terms of moderation, cooperation in fighting crime, and anti-social behavior, for years, Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations. To conclude, I'd like to thank the judges for allowing me to return home for a few weeks of rest and recovery,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel.

Durov was detained On August 24, 2024, at Paris «Le Bourget» Airport. Due to the activities of Telegram, he was charged with 12 counts. The offenses include distribution of child sexual abuse materials, trafficking in prohibited substances, promotion of terrorism and illegal activities, and complicity in organized fraud.

After four days of detention, he was released on bail of 5 million euros, with the condition not to leave the territory of France and to report to the police twice a week. The Russian authorities called this «political persecution» because Durov has Russian citizenship, although he also holds French and UAE citizenship.

Token of the TON blockchain, which Telegram runs on, had a sluggish reaction to the event. Toncoin (TON) rose by just a couple of percents to $3.42. Interestingly, after Durov’s arrest, the price reached $5.35. And the maximum value of the coin was $8.24 (June 2024).