British police investigating allegations of rape and human trafficking have been granted a warrant to extradite Andrew Tate to the UK.
Bedfordshire police said they had been granted the warrant by authorities in Romania, but would have to wait until proceedings there on allegations of sexual violence and trafficking, which Tate denies, are completed.
Tate, 37, a controversial social media influencer accused of anti-women views, was detained in Romania on Monday after the arrest warrant was issued.
He and his brother Tristan, 35, face charges in the UK including “sexual aggression” dating to 2012-15, according to a statement by his public relations representative.
Bedfordshire police said in a statement: “As part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, Bedfordshire police has obtained a European arrest warrant for two men in their 30s.
“We are working with authorities in Romania as part of this investigation and will provide an update in due course.”
It said its investigation was called Operation Moonwalk and asked “anyone with information about this specific investigation” to contact them.
The Tate brothers were charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in a separate case in Romania after being arrested in the country’s capital in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women. All four deny the allegations.
The allegations from Britain led to their renewed detention in Romania and the extradition request went before a court in Bucharest on Tuesday. The Romanian court of appeal said in a statement that it “rules to execute the arrest warrant and … to postpone handing over the requested person until the final verdict in the criminal case argued at the Bucharest court”.
After the latest court hearing in Bucharest, the Tate brothers were released from custody and both deny the allegations against them in the UK.
In a statement, Eugen Vidineac, legal counsel for the defendants, said: “We appreciate the Bucharest court of appeal’s decision to postpone the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
“This ruling provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner.”
The Tates denied claims they had been planning to flee and promised to stay in Romania to fight the case against them there: “We unequivocally deny any accusations that Andrew or Tristan Tate intends to abscond from Romania to evade the judicial proceedings. Our clients are fully committed to actively participating in the legal process and defending their reputation.”
In an earlier statement the Tates’ representative said: “This bewildering revival of decade-old accusations has left the Tate brothers dismayed and deeply troubled. They categorically reject all charges and express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence.”
At least two British police forces have investigated Andrew Tate’s activities in the UK.
Three women have previously spoken to Hertfordshire police, based just outside London, to make allegations. British prosecutors decided last year not to pursue their cases believing they were unlikely to get a conviction.
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorises criminal charges in England and Wales, confirmed that Hertfordshire police had submitted a file about potential charges after receiving allegations about Tate.
The spokesperson said specialist prosecutors had reviewed the case and informed the women in January 2023 that the case would not be pursued: “Rape is a devastating crime, and every case that comes to the CPS is dealt with by a specialist prosecutor in one of our dedicated rape and sexual offences units.
“In this case, we carefully reviewed all the evidence provided by the police regarding each complainant and concluded it did not meet our legal test, and there was no realistic prospect of a conviction.
“We sent a letter to each complainant explaining our decision not to charge.
“We acknowledge the bravery of everyone who comes forward and want them to be confident that their case will be prosecuted whenever our legal test is met.”
Tate was born in the US but raised as a child in Luton, Bedfordshire.
