A Romanian court today upheld an appeal by the British Tate brothers, who will not be tried at this stage for organised human trafficking and rape, for which they were accused along with two women in Romania.
However, this does not mean that the case against them is closed. The case has been returned to prosecutors, who can now present new evidence to support their charges or amend the existing indictment in a way that is legally satisfactory.
Former kickboxers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who hold British-American citizenship, along with two Romanian women, were charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal group with the aim of sexually exploiting women.
Andrew Tate, along with his brother and two women, are accused of forcing seven other women to create pornographic videos for pay-per-view websites. The four deny the charges.
The court in the Romanian capital initially announced the start of the trial in the spring without a specific date, but in mid-November it announced “irregularities”.
In addition, the court “excluded from evidence” the testimony of two alleged victims due to “procedural violations”. According to 36-year-old Tristan Tate, “the decision to dismiss the indictment points to fundamental flaws in the evidence provided.”
After their arrest in 2022 in Bucharest, where they had lived for several years, the Tate brothers spent three months in custody and were then placed under judicial supervision with a ban on leaving the country pending trial.
The brothers will be extradited to Britain after the court proceedings in Romania, where they also face charges of sexual violence.
British police are also accusing the controversial influencer and his brother of years of tax evasion. A British court ruled on Wednesday that police can seize £2.6m from the brothers, which they say they owe in tax from the total income from their online business between 2014 and 2022.
Andrew Tate has millions of followers on social media, where he promotes a luxurious lifestyle. He has made his fortune, according to his own account, through investments, including in pornography. He is also known for his misogynistic statements, which led to his ban from all major social media platforms.
This also included the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, where his ban was lifted after Elon Musk took over the company. According to the AP, Tate has more than ten million followers on X, Klix.ba writes.
