Following the issuance of an arrest order by British police, online influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate made their way to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest on Tuesday. According to spokeswoman Mateea Petrescu, Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate were arrested for 24 hours on Monday night over claims of sexual assault in a 2012–2015 U.K. case.
Despite allegations of physical and sexual assault from four women, Andrew Tate was not prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in the United Kingdom. Then, in order to pay for their legal fees as they pursued a civil action against him, the accused victims turned to crowdsourcing.
The Tate brothers were ordered to be released right away by the appeals court, where they had appeared on Tuesday with police escorting them in handcuffs, according to spokeswoman Mateea Petrescu.
After Bedfordshire Police announced that it had secured an arrest warrant, Andrew Tate, 37, and Tristan, 35, were taken into custody in Bucharest on Monday. A judge decided that the brothers cannot be extradited until their separate trial on allegations of human trafficking in Romania is over. Their custody has been terminated.
Andrew Tate stated outside of court: “Everyone will eventually see that we are a group of incredibly innocent men. We can’t wait to get this legal procedure over with and have our names cleared.” He subsequently told the BBC that “the whole thing is garbage” outside his home on the outskirts of Bucharest. The brothers “unambiguously reject all charges” and will continue to be subject to Romanian court restrictions that will prohibit them from leaving the nation.
Bedfordshire Police said that it had acquired an arrest warrant for two males in their 30s as part of a probe into claims of rape and human trafficking, prior to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest granting extradition. The force released a statement saying, “We understand this is a distressing subject, and that individuals may be affected by what they are seeing in the news.” Legal counsel for the brothers claims that the accusations go back to 2012.
One of their attorneys, Eugen Vidineac, stated following their release: “We are grateful for the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision to delay Andrew and Tristan Tate’s extradition. “This ruling gives a chance for the brothers to take part fully in their defence and for the legal procedure to proceed in a transparent manner.”
Authorities in Romania are looking into distinct claims made by the brothers, which they deny, of rape, human trafficking, and joining a criminal group. They are charged with abusing women through an adult content company that, according to the prosecution, functioned as a criminal organization. Mr. Tate has maintained that there is a plot to silence him and that Romanian prosecutors lack any proof against him.
Tate was successful in challenging the January confiscation of his assets by Romanian officials, who had stolen them a few weeks prior to his incarceration.
Authorities in Romania have confiscated luxury vehicles totaling around 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million), together with 14 designer timepieces and cash in various currencies.
