Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been cleared to leave Romania as they await trial on human trafficking charges, their lawyer has said.
The Tates – who hold American and British citizenship – were granted permission to travel freely within the EU after months of lockdown under police custody and house arrest.
The pair had been indicted in mid-2023 alongside two Romanian women on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women – accusations they have denied.
According to prosecutors, the Tates recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.
They said the victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gain.
And in April this year, a Bucharest court ruled their trial can start, a decision the brothers have appealed.
Both the Tates and the pair of Romanian women had had been banned from leaving the Eastern European country – but Friday’s court decision extended their area of confinement to the whole of the EU.
In a victorious video posted to social media, Andrew Tate said: “My judges decided… I’m allowed to leave Romania, so do we take the (Ferrari) SF90 to Italy, the (Maserati) MC20 to Cannes, the (Ferrari) 812 Competition to Paris, where do I go?”
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Andrew Tate (left) uploaded a victorious video to social media in reaction to the news
Reuters
Both Andrew and Tristan are the highest-profile suspects facing trial for human trafficking in Romania – and their case will be a test for Romania’s anti-organised crime prosecuting unit Diicot.
The brothers were held in police custody during an initial criminal investigation from late December 2022 until April 2023 to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.
They were then placed under house arrest until August, when courts put them under judicial control, a lighter preventative measure.
In reaction to the relaxation of their travel bans, the Tates’ lawyer Eugen Vidineac said: “Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their name and reputation; however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them.”
In a bizarre twist to the Tates’ tale, it emerged just days ago that Tristan donated thousands of pounds to Workers Party of Britain (WPB) leader George Galloway at the start of June – despite endorsing Reform on the same day.
Just after midnight on June 2, Tate pledged £5,000 over two installments to a fundraiser for the party – which states “Labour and the Tories are just the same, Britain needs a party to give working-class people a real choice”.
But the donations appeared to have been in vain after Galloway’s WPB lost out to Labour in Rochdale, where the 69-year-old firebrand had surged to a by-election win in February this year.
Labour’s Paul Waugh, a political journalist, won with 13,027 votes in the seat – and Galloway came second with 11,587.
