Romanian Prosecutors Fail to Overturn Andrew Tate’s House Arrest Status

BUCHAREST, Romania—The court in Romania’s capital rejected the prosecutors’ appeal to jail internet influencer Andrew Tate, who will continue to be under house arrest amid another human trafficking investigation, which allegedly involves minors.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal also decided to keep Tate’s brother, Tristan Tate, under judicial control, which typically involves restrictions on communication with certain individuals and regular reporting to the police. Their spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, mentioned that the judge also lifted some restrictions regarding the brothers’ communication with the alleged victims in the new case.

“They can meet and communicate with these alleged victims freely due to the close relationships they share and the children they have together,” she stated, emphasizing their denial of all accusations against them.

Following the court’s ruling, Andrew Tate posted on X asserting that the prosecutors tried to imprison them “without evidence.”

This development comes after Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, conducted raids on four homes, including the Tates’ residences in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county. Although the brothers were briefly detained, the prosecutors’ request to keep them in custody for 30 days was denied initially but then appealed.

Andrew Tate, 37, and Tristan Tate, 36, both former kickboxers and dual British-U.S. citizens, are awaiting trial in Romania for a separate human trafficking case with two Romanian women. The Romanian prosecutors formally charged all four individuals last year.

DIICOT is currently investigating human trafficking allegations in the new case, including minors being trafficked, sexual activity with a minor, forming an organized criminal group, money laundering, and influencing statements. The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 2014 and 2024.

The agency mentioned that the defendants utilized the coercive method known as “loverboy” to exploit 34 vulnerable victims who were coerced into producing pornographic content for online distribution, and that the earnings exceeded $2.8 million (2.5 million euros), which were retained by the defendants.

According to DIICOT’s allegations, an unidentified foreign individual exploited a 17-year-old foreigner sexually and retained all the proceeds totaling $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) from the criminal activities. The same individual is accused of engaging in sexual activities with a 15-year-old repeatedly.

Andrew Tate, with 10 million followers on the social media platform X, has consistently claimed that there is no evidence against him from the prosecutors and that a political conspiracy is attempting to silence him. He had been previously banned from several social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.

One of the brothers’ lawyers, Eugen Vidineac, responded to the court’s decision by stating that it demonstrates Romania as a country where the judicial system is diligent, impartial, and resists sensationalism.

“We are eager to clear my clients’ names and demonstrate their innocence,” he added.

Following the Tate brothers’ arrest in December 2022, they spent three months in police detention before being placed under house arrest. Subsequently, they were confined to the Bucharest municipality and Ilfov county and then to Romania.

In April, the Bucharest Tribunal determined that the prosecutors’ case file against them fulfilled the legal requirements, allowing for a trial to proceed without setting a specific date for commencement.

In July, a court overturned a previous decision that had permitted the Tate brothers to depart from Romania while awaiting trial.