ROMANIAN COURT TO RULE ON ANDREW TATE’S CHALLENGE TO DETENTION (VIDEO)

Tue 10 January 2023:

A Romanian court is due to rule on Tuesday on a challenge filed by Andrew Tate, an internet personality notorious for hate speech, against his 30-day arrest for alleged human trafficking and formation of an organised crime group to exploit six women.

Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects were detained by Romanian anti-organised crime prosecutors on Dec. 29 pending a criminal investigation. They have denied wrongdoing through an attorney and have challenged the arrest warrant.

Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship.

The victims were then taken to properties on the outskirts of capital Bucharest and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites which generated large financial gains, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors also said one of the brothers raped one of the victims in March of last year, which is when the investigation started.

“The possibility that the suspects would evade investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial possibilities and public comments to that regard cannot be ignored,” the court judge said in the written record approving the arrest.

Prosecutors have seized 15 luxury vehicles and over 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects in Bucharest and Prahova and Brasov counties, Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organized crime unit DIICOT, told Reuters.

The seizure was meant to prevent the assets being sold or concealed.

Should the court uphold the arrest warrant and the investigation need more time, prosecutors can seek approval for further extensions of up to 180 days of detention under Romanian law.

Eugen Vidineac, who represents both brothers, told Romanian newssite Gandul the defence had not been given the opportunity to study the prosecution file for the case.

“I will point this out from the beginning, that even up to the present moment, the criminal investigation file has not been made available to us to ensure the effective defence of our clients.

“In this sense, I would like to point out, at least from this point of view, I am also somehow amazed, there is not a single piece of evidence apart from the victim’s statement that leads to the idea that a crime of rape was committed.”

Andrew Tate has built a huge social media following through his highly controversial messages, menacing tweets and short films, and have widely been condemned as misogynistic.