Andrew Tate, a controversial online influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women, have been moved to house arrest while under investigation for alleged human trafficking and rape. The Romanian court overturned a prosecutor’s request to keep them in police custody until late April. The four suspects have been in police detention since December 29, and prosecutors are investigating them for suspected human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
The brothers, who deny all charges brought against them, were released from the police central arrest premises in Bucharest at approximately midnight on Friday, accompanied by their Romanian lawyers. The two female suspects were also released. The brothers are forbidden from contacting witnesses and leaving the house without approval from authorities.
“We see the court decision as legal, thorough and correct,” Tate’s lawyer Eugen Vidineac told reporters on Friday. “We do not yet have the court’s motivation, we do not know whether there are other interdictions,” Vidineac said.
Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their alleged victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage. The victims were then coerced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gains.
The Tate brothers moved to Romania several years ago, and Tristan has a baby son who was born after his arrest. As part of the probe, Romanian police have raided several properties connected to the Tate brothers and seized many of their assets, including a collection of luxury cars.
A court document from January said that one woman was “recruited” from the United Kingdom after she fell in love with Andrew Tate, who then brought her to Romania “with the goal of sexual exploitation”. In 2016, Tate appeared on the “Big Brother” reality television show in the UK but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.
Tate turned to social media to promote his divisive views after being banned from several social media platforms for misogynistic remarks and hate speech. He was allowed back on Twitter, where he has 5.5 million followers, after the South African-born billionaire Elon Musk bought the company.
The same Bucharest court of appeals denied the Tate brothers’ request to be released on bail earlier this week. In previous rulings that extended their stay in police custody, judges have said the Tate brothers posed a flight risk and that their release could jeopardize the investigation.
“All four are getting out tonight,” Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania’s DIICOT anti-organized crime unit told the Reuters news agency. “The decision is final, the investigation continues.”
Under Romanian legislation, prosecutors have filed charges against the four suspects, but the case is still under investigation and has not gone to trial. Prosecutors have until the end of June to send the suspects to trial.
The case has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling for justice for the alleged victims. The investigation continues, and more details are expected to emerge as the case progresses.