French authorities have allowed Telegram founder Pavel Durov to temporarily leave the country amidst and ongoing investigation into the company over failures to prevent criminal activity on the service.

Durov, 40, was arrested last August after arriving at an airport near Paris in his private jet, and after being released from custody was required to check in at a police station twice a week.

On Monday the investigative judges overseeing his case said they had lifted the travel restrictions on him from 15 March to 7 April, when he must return to the country.

Online crime

“I’ve returned to Dubai after spending several months in France due to an investigation related to the activity of criminals on Telegram,” said Durov in a statement.

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

The Russian-born entrepreneur, who has citizenship in Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, has denied failing to cooperate with law enforcement over charges related to drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud.

Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation, but since Durov’s arrest has made changes to the way it operates, such as joining a programme that aims to identify and remove child sexual abuse material shared online, and publishing transparency reports about how much content is taken down.

The company has also said that IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate its terms of service will be provided to police in response to valid legal requests.

Personal liability

Durov faces up to 10 years in prison for the charges.

He has criticised French authorities for his arrest, saying he cannot be held personally responsible for activities carried out on the platform.

“When it comes to moderation, cooperation, and fighting crime, for years Telegram not only met but exceeded its legal obligations,” Durov said on Monday.