A court in Romania’s capital has ruled that a trial can commence in the case of influencer Andrew Tate, who faces charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Bucharest Tribunal determined that the prosecutors' case file against Tate met the legal criteria, although no trial date has been set yet. Tate's spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, confirmed that the ruling has been appealed.
Andrew Tate, 37, was arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother, Tristan Tate, and two Romanian women. The Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year, with the accused denying the allegations.
Following the court's decision, one of the brothers' lawyers, Eugen Vidineac, criticized the ruling, stating that it lacked legal basis and reasoning. An appeal has been filed on the grounds of the ruling being deemed unlawful.
Throughout the preliminary chamber stages, the legal case has been under discussion for months, allowing the defendants to challenge the prosecutors' evidence and case file. Ioan Gliga, another lawyer for the Tates, expressed confidence in the fairness of their arguments presented during the preliminary hearing.
Andrew Tate, known for his social media presence with 9.1 million followers on the platform X (formerly Twitter), has consistently maintained his innocence, alleging that the accusations against him are part of a political conspiracy to silence him. Tate has faced previous bans from major social media platforms due to misogynistic views and hate speech. Both Tate brothers hold dual British-U.S. citizenship.
In a recent development, the Bucharest Tribunal extended geographical restrictions against Andrew Tate, prohibiting him from leaving the country. Tate had requested permission to travel within the European Union with prior judicial approval. Following their arrest, the Tate brothers were initially held in police detention for three months before being placed under house arrest. They were later confined to Bucharest Municipality and nearby Ilfov County but can now move freely within Romania.
Additionally, the Tate brothers appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case where British authorities sought their extradition over allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015. The appeals court granted the extradition request but specified that the Tates would only be extradited to the U.K. after the legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
