A court in Bucharest, Romania, has given the green light for the trial of influencer Andrew Tate to proceed. Tate is facing charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to exploit women sexually. The Bucharest Tribunal has deemed the prosecutors’ case file against Tate to meet the necessary legal standards, although no trial date has been set yet.
According to a spokesperson from Tate, Mateea Petrescu, they have appealed the ruling.
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In December 2022, Tate, 37, was apprehended near Bucharest, together with his brother, Tristan Tate, and two Romanian women. Last year in June, Romanian prosecutors officially charged all four individuals. However, they have consistently refuted the accusations brought against them.
“The decision made by the preliminary chamber judge is lacking in legal basis and reasoning,” stated Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers representing the brothers. “We have submitted a robust appeal, as we firmly believe that the ruling is unlawful.”
The legal case had been under discussion for months in the preliminary chamber stages before the court made its decision on Friday. During this process, the defendants had the opportunity to challenge the prosecutors’ evidence and case file.
“We firmly stand by the validity of the arguments we put forth during the preliminary hearing and in the memoranda addressing the legality of the criminal investigation,” affirmed Ioan Gliga, one of the lawyers representing the Tates. “While they may not have received the due attention they deserved during the preliminary hearing, we are confident that the panel of appeal court judges will lend their support to our cause.”
Andrew Tate, a social media influencer with a massive following of 9.1 million on X (previously known as Twitter), has been vocal about his belief that Romanian prosecutors lack any evidence against him. He asserts that there is a political plot to suppress his voice.
Tate had been banned from several major social media platforms in the past due to his expression of misogynistic views and hate speech. It is worth noting that both Tates hold dual citizenship in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
In a recent ruling, the Bucharest Tribunal has imposed further restrictions on Tate, a former professional kickboxer. These restrictions prevent him from leaving the country. Tate had sought permission to travel within the European Union, but this request was denied. He will only be allowed to travel if authorized by a judge.
After the arrest of the Tate brothers, they spent three months in police custody before being placed under house arrest. Eventually, their movements were limited to Bucharest Municipality and nearby Ilfov County. However, they are now able to travel unrestricted throughout Romania.
In another case, the Tate brothers recently made an appearance at the Bucharest Court of Appeal. This came about after arrest warrants were issued by British authorities regarding accusations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case that took place between 2012 and 2015.
The British request to extradite the Tates to the U.K. has been granted by the appeals court. However, the extradition will only take place after the legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
