Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social messaging app Telegram, has been allowed to fly home to Dubai as French authorities continue their unprecedented case against him.

The tech billionaire was arrested in August after being accused of failing to properly moderate his app to reduce criminality.

Mr Durov denies failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation.

It is the first time a tech leader has been arrested for criminality taking place on their platform.

Mr Durov said in a post on his Telegram channel: “The process is ongoing but it feels great to be home.”

The 40-year-old was arrested in August 2024 as he arrived in Paris on his private jet, and French judges initially did not allow him to leave France.

But the office of the Paris prosecutor told the BBC on Monday that “the obligations of judicial supervision” had been suspended between 15 March and 7 April.

No further details were given about the conditions of his release from France.

Mr Durov lives in Dubai and was born in Russia, where he has citizenship, as well as in France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.

Telegram is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states as well as Iran.