Andrew Tate Appears in Romanian Court to Appeal Extended Detention

Andrew Tate, right, and his brother Tristan, left, are brought by police officers to the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2023. Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained last month in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape, and later arrested for 30 days after a court decision. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

Former kickboxer and social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrived in a Romanian court on the morning of Jan. 10 to appeal their extended 30-day detention.

Tate, 36, and his brother were initially detained on Dec. 29 in the capital city of Bucharest following a raid of the former’s luxury home and other properties. Tate has reportedly lived in Romania since 2017.

Prosecutors said at the time that the brothers had been under investigation since April alongside two Romanian nationals as part of a probe into an organized crime group, human trafficking, and rape. The two Romanian women are also in custody.

A judge moved to extend their arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days a day after their arrest, explaining in a court document at the time that “the possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored,” and that they could “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition.”

Tate, a British-U.S. citizen, and his brother have denied any wrongdoing and are challenging the arrest warrant.

Bucharest’s Court of Appeal is expected to hand out a verdict on the matter later on Tuesday, Eugen Vidineac, the Romanian lawyer representing the Tate brothers, told The Associated Press.

If the court rules to uphold the extended arrest warrant, prosecutors could request the suspects be detained for up to 180 days. If it is overturned, they could instead be placed under house arrest or banned from leaving the country.

Andrew Tate, centre, and his brother Tristan, right, are brought by police officers to the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2023.  AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre

Tate’s Rise to Fame

Tate rose to prominence as a kickboxer, at one point ranking No. 1 in his division in Europe, before making headlines during a brief stint on the UK television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was taken off the show after video footage emerged that appeared to show him hitting a woman with a belt.

At the time, Tate said that the video footage had been edited to make him look bad and the woman who appeared in the video later issued a statement alongside Tate stating that the actions in the video were consensual.

He later went on to become popular on social media thanks to his often controversial videos as well as his paid video subscription program “Hustler University,” billed as an “exclusive community with over 100000 students learning how to make money online.”

Critics of Tate have branded him a misogynist, which he has denied, stating instead that he is a “realist.”

Separately, Vidineac told the Romanian online newspaper Gandul he believes that the character Tate portrays on social media could not be used as evidence in a criminal trial.

“I don’t know if you can characterize a person or morally profile a person so extensively that it be used as evidence in a criminal trial, what he presents on social media with what the person represents in real life,” Vidineac said. “Now, in the case of the Tate brothers, I don’t know what their intent was in promoting themselves on social media, but I sit here and wonder—can that intent from the social media stand as evidence in a criminal prosecution case, with respect to a criminal character?”

The lawyer also stated that the defense has not been granted access to the prosecution file in the case against Tate and his brother in order to ensure the effective defense of his clients.

Andrew Tate, third right, and his brother Tristan, second right, are brought by police officers to the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2023. AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

Prosecutors Say 6 Women Identified, Allegedly Exploited

“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,” the lawyer said, adding that there is also “no evidence” supporting a human trafficking offense.

Vidineac also noted that the Tate brothers both have children but are not married.

At the time of their arrest in December, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said that the brothers, along with two others, “appear to have created an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost.”

DIICOT said they had identified six women who had allegedly been sexually exploited by the suspects, stating that they had been recruited by British citizens by “misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love (the loverboy method).”

“They were later transported and housed in buildings in Ilfov county where [they exercised] acts of physical violence and mental coercion,” DIICOT said.

Romanian authorities also accused the suspects of gaining “important sums of money” through their actions.

Prosecutors investigating the case have so far seized 15 luxury vehicles, of which at least seven reportedly belong to the Tate brothers, and over 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for DIICOT.

Bolla also noted that further property will be taken by the state if prosecutors are able to prove that the Tate brothers and the two other suspects gained money through human trafficking. The money will be used to cover the expenses of the probe and to compensate the victims, according to the spokesperson.