Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the instant messaging software Telegram, stated in a post on Monday that he has returned to Dubai after being detained for several months in France due to an investigation related to criminal activities on the Telegram platform. He added that the relevant investigation procedures are still ongoing, but “it feels great to be home.”
In his post, Durov expressed gratitude to the judge who allowed him to return home, as well as to his lawyers and team for their efforts in “demonstrating that Telegram has not only met but exceeded its legal obligations in terms of control, cooperation, and combating crime over the years.” Durov also thanked the millions of supporters worldwide, stating that this means a lot to him, and remarked, “There is nothing our community of one billion people cannot overcome.”
Last August, as part of an investigation targeting Telegram, French authorities arrested Durov and accused him of operating a platform that allows illegal activities.
News of Durov’s permission to leave France circulated over the weekend, coinciding with a more than 15% increase in the value of TON, the native token of the blockchain closely related to Telegram, The Open Network. As of the time of this article’s publication, TON was trading at approximately $3.42.