Misogynistic social media influencer Andrew Tate, who is accused of forming an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape, can now leave Romania while awaiting trial, a court ruled on Friday. The Bucharest Court ruled that Tate must remain in the European Union.
AX, before Twitter, Tate declared: “I'M FREE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS I CAN SCORE FROM ROMANIA. THE FANTASTIC CASE IS STRIKING.”
“Where am I going? I can go where I want,” said a shared video with the publication.
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Mateea Petrescu, a spokeswoman for the 37-year-old social media influencer, hailed it as an “important victory and a big step forward” in the case.
“We embrace and applaud the court's decision today, I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behavior and assistance of my clients,” said Eugen Vidineac, one of the Tate's lawyers, adding that the Tates “remain determined to clean up his name and reputation.”
Vidineac said the ability to travel within the 27-nation EU bloc will allow Tates to “pursue career opportunities without restrictions”.
Tate, a former professional kickboxer and dual British citizen of the United States, was initially arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally accused all four in June last year and all four have denied the allegations.
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Romania's Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) charged the four defendants with forming an organized crime group to carry out human trafficking in Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. He says seven alleged victims were recruited by two defendants and deceived about their romantic relationship. intentions Then, the alleged victims were taken to houses where they were intimidated with acts of physical and psychological violence, and sexually exploited, according to DIICOT.
The Tate brothers were placed under house arrest in March 2023 pending a criminal investigation.
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On April 26, the Bucharest Court ruled that the prosecution's case against Tate met the legal criteria and that a trial could begin, but did not set a date for it to begin. That ruling came after the court case had been argued for months in the preliminary chamber, a process in which defendants can challenge evidence and the prosecution's case file.
Tate is best known for spreading hate speech, misogyny and violence on social media. Both Facebook and Instagram banned him in August 2022 for violating parent company Meta's policies on dangerous organizations and individuals, and he has also been banned from posting videos on YouTube.
He was suspended by Twitter in 2017, but later reinstated on the platform Elon Musk took ownership of the company in 2022.
