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. Numerous charges against Durov have not yet been dropped, and the investigation is ongoing. The head of Telegram was allegedly allowed to spend a few weeks at home, although he did not specify this information.
«As you may have heard, I’ve returned to Dubai after spending several months in France due to an investigation related to the activity of criminals on Telegram. The process is ongoing, but it feels great to be home. I want to thank the investigative judges for letting this happen, as well as my lawyers and team for their relentless efforts in demonstrating that, when it comes to moderation, cooperation, and fighting crime, for years Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations».
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).