MOSCOW (Reuters) - Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder and CEO of Telegram, said on Monday that he had returned to Dubai.

Durov was arrested at an airport near Paris last August and subsequently placed under formal investigation, with a ban on leaving France.

Durov said he had spent 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," he said.