French authorities have finally freed Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of popular social media application Telegram, after he was arrested and later arraigned in court for failing to moderate and reduce criminality on his platform.
Recall that days after his arrest at Le Bourget airport on August 24, Durov was detained at the National Anti-Fraud Bureau and was later made to appear before a court in Paris.
French prosecutors revealed in a report that Durov is the subject of an official investigation in France as part of an investigation into organized crime on the messaging app.
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According to a statement released by Paris prosecutors, Mr. Durov was placed under formal investigation for a number of alleged offenses, including refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, facilitating the illegal activities of an organized gang on an internet platform, and participating in the organized criminal distribution of child s3x photos.
However, Durov has now been released and allowed to fly home to Dubai as French authorities continue their unprecedented case against the entrepreneur, who has emerged as the first tech leader to be arrested for criminality.
Mr. Durov posted on his Telegram channel shortly after being granted permission to return home, saying, “The process is ongoing, but it feels great to be home.”