Divisive influencer Andrew Tate will remain under house arrest following a ruling by a court in Romania this week.
On Thursday, the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected a request from prosecutors to place Tate back in jail amid an investigation into allegations of human trafficking against him. The court of appeals also ruled that Tate’s brother, Tristian Tate, will be placed under judicial control which involves the restriction of communication with certain people.
Mateea Petrescu, a spokesperson for the two brothers, said that the judge also approved the removal of restrictions against the two from speaking to certain people involved in the case.
“They are free to meet and communicate with these alleged victims based on the close relationships they share and the children they have together,” Petrescu said.
British-US former professional kickboxer and controversial influencer Andrew Tate (L) and his brother Tristan Tate (R) leave after having been released from detention in Bucharest, Romania on March 12, 2024, after they appeared in a court after Romanian police detained them over UK sex offence charges. On September 5, 2024, a court ruled that Andrew Tate will remain on house arrest after a judge rejected an appeal to place him in jail.
DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images
Petrescu added that the two brothers “vehemently deny all allegations” made against them.
The ruling follows raids conducted weeks ago by Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, at four locations, including the Tates’ residences in Bucharest and Ilfov County. After a brief detention, prosecutors initially failed to secure a 30-day custody order for the brothers but later appealed the decision.
In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Tate responded to the ruling on Thursday. He wrote: “The second file has been ruled lacking evidence by the judge of appeals and the jail request by Dicott was rejected.”
“We are free…This was a desperate attempt to put us in jail with no evidence, simply piles of junk and a made up story,” Tate wrote. “The first file is falling apart and the second file couldnt even achieve an arrest warrant. Old youtube videos and edited whatsapp conversations are not evidence of crimes.”
“Huge respect to this Romanian judge who saw through the garbage and correctly stated that I am not evil, simply ‘An old fashioned type of man,’ Thank you for all of the support by the truth tellers,” he added.
Andrew Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, both former kickboxers and dual British-U.S. citizens, are already awaiting trial in Romania on separate human trafficking charges alongside two Romanian women. All four were formally indicted by Romanian prosecutors last year.
In the new case, DIICOT is investigating allegations of human trafficking, including trafficking minors, engaging in sexual acts with a minor, forming an organized criminal group, money laundering and tampering with statements. The alleged offenses occurred between 2014 and 2024.
Andrew Tate, who boasts 10 million followers on X, is known for promoting misogynistic views online. He has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and alleges a political conspiracy to silence him. Tate was previously banned from several social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and engaging in hate speech.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
