Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said he had returned from France to Dubai as French authorities continue to investigate alleged criminal activity on his messaging platform.
He revealed his location in a message on his Telegram channel.
Last year, he was detained upon arrival in Paris, where French authorities brought preliminary charges against him in connection with alleged crimes on the platform.
Following his arrest, Mr Durov was banned from leaving France until the investigation was completed and was required to report to a police station twice a week.
“As you may have heard, I am back in Dubai after spending several months in France in connection with an investigation into criminal activity on Telegram,” he wrote. “The process is ongoing, but it is good to be home.”
French investigators say Telegram was used to distribute child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, with the platform refusing to provide information or documents to investigators as required by law.
In his post, Mr. Durov expressed gratitude to the “investigative judges for allowing this to happen.”
Investigators detained Mr Durov last August when he arrived at Le Bourget airport near Paris and questioned him for four days as part of a wide-ranging investigation.
Mr Durov said that “in matters of moderation, cooperation and combating crime, Telegram has not only met but exceeded its legal obligations for many years.”
Last year, after his arrest, he stressed that Telegram was not an “anarchist paradise,” citing the rapid growth of Telegram users as “causing growth problems that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
