Telegram founder Pavel Durov left France and returned to Dubai after a few months of restrictions due to judicial investigation. He officially confirmed this in his Telegram channel, thanking the investigating judges for the permission to leave.
On August 24, 2024, Durov was arrested at the French Airport of Le-Burge as a result of the assistance of illegal activities in Telegram. He was charged with complicity in administration of platforms with illegal content, including the spread of child pornography, money laundering and refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Four days later, he went on bail, but remained in France with restrictions on movement.
In January 2025, during the court hearing in Paris, he denied the accusation, emphasizing that Telegram locks 15-20 million accounts related to illegal activities on a monthly basis. However, the French gendarmerie has opened more than 500 cases related to the use of a messenger for crimes only in the first five months of 2024. On March 15, 2025 it became known that Durov received permission from France with his girlfriend Yulia Vavilova. The court in his case was postponed for at least a year, which gave him the opportunity to leave the country. On March 19, he confirmed that he returned to Dubai, calling him his "home."
Durov also stated that Telegram complies with all legal obligations and even exceeds them in the fight against crime.
