Telegram’s CEO Durov in Dubai as France continues to investigate criminal activity on messaging app

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said Monday that he has travelled from France to Dubai as French authorities continue to investigate criminal activity on his messaging app.

Durov revealed his whereabouts in a post on his Telegram channel. He had been detained last year after arriving in Paris, where French authorities handed him preliminary charges for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the platform.

After his arrest, Durov was barred from leaving France pending further investigation, and was required to report to a police station twice a week,

“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,” Durov wrote. “The process is ongoing, but it feels great to be home.”

French investigators say Telegram was used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that the platform refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

In his post, Durov thanked the “investigative judges for letting this happen.”

Investigators detained Durov last August when he arrived at Le Bourget airport outside Paris and questioned him for four days as part of a sweeping probe.

Durov said in his post that “when it comes to moderation, cooperation, and fighting crime, for years Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations.”

He insisted last year after his arrest that Telegram is not “some sort of anarchic paradise,” and blamed surging numbers of Telegram users, which “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”