Andrew Tate, the controversial social media influencer, has lost his fresh appeal to be released from a Romanian prison amid a human trafficking case.
Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in December 2022 over allegations of sexual assault, exploitation, organised crime and human trafficking.
Tate, a British-US citizen, appealed in Bucharest against a judge’s decision on 21 February to keep him in a Romanian prison for a further 30 days.
However, the court rejected his appeal, meaning he will remain in detention until at least 29 March.
Before the court decision, a post appeared on Tate’s Twitter account that read: “If you want a life people will aspire for, you’ll need to be prepared to defend it.”
Tate’s spokesperson said afterwards: “We are disappointed in this outcome as we had high hopes to see Andrew reunited with his family. His legal team will be appealing this decision within the 48hr time frame.”
The 36-year-old former professional kickboxer and his brother Tristan are being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and exploitation. They are also being detained on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking. The pair were taken into custody on 29 December last year and neither of them has been formally charged in the case.
Two Romanian women who were detained alongside the brothers have also not been formally charged.
The Tate brothers were initially detained for 24 hours, which was then extended to 30 days. A further 30 days were added in January, and again last month.
A January court document explaining a previous arrest extension noted “the possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored,” and said they could “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition.”
Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organised crime agency DIICOT, has confirmed Tate’s latest request for bail was rejected at a hearing at the Bucharest Tribunal this morning.
In Romania, it is rare for defendants under preventative arrest for serious crimes to request posting bail. More common are requests to be placed under other judicial conditions such as house arrest or geographical restrictions.
Tate’s appeal has been rejected after the brothers lost an earlier appeal against the 21 February ruling. Tristan’s fresh bail appeal hearing is tomorrow.
Romanian authorities said they had seized goods and money worth almost £3.25m from Tate’s villa, including luxury cars.
He has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged their case is a “political” conspiracy designed to silence him. However, DIICOT said in a statement after the December arrests that it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and sexually exploited by members of the alleged crime group.
The agency said victims were lured with pretences of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group.
Tate, who has 5.3 million followers on Twitter, was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech. The former Big Brother contestant is believed to have lived in Romania since 2017.
The rejection of Tate’s appeal highlights the seriousness of the allegations against him and the ongoing investigation into human trafficking in Romania. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of combating human trafficking and exploitation, and the need to hold those who engage in these crimes accountable.
As the investigation continues, more information may be revealed about the alleged crimes committed by Tate and his brother Tristan.
