A court in Romania’s capital on Friday ordered the return of assets seized during the investigation into a case in which online influencer Andrew Tate was charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal organization to sexually exploit women. was rejected.
A Bucharest court ruled that all seized assets remain in the possession of Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT, a Tate spokesperson said, adding that the decision would be appealed. Ta. Tate, 37, won an appeal challenging the seizure of her assets in January and a new trial began.
The former professional kickboxer was arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 along with his brother Tristan Tate and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year. They deny the charges.
Andrew Tait detained in Romania, served with arrest warrant in UK, spokesperson says
After the Tates were taken into custody, Romanian authorities seized 15 luxury cars, 14 branded watches, and cash in multiple currencies. The car fleet included Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz. Authorities said at the time that the total value of the items was estimated at 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million).
Andrew Tate appears in court on Friday, March 15, 2024, in Bucharest, Romania. A court in Romania’s capital on Wednesday extended geographic restrictions on online influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal organization. Sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Andrea Alexandre)
DIICOT has also identified more than a dozen properties and lands owned by companies registered to the Tate brothers, which could be used to fund investigations or go to victims if authorities can prove they were obtained through illegal activity. He said that it could be used for compensation.
Andrew Tate, who has amassed 9 million followers on social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He had previously been banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.
Friday’s ruling came a week after the Tate brothers appeared before the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case. A spokesman for the brothers said British authorities had issued a warrant for their arrest on suspicion of sexual assault in British incidents dating from 2012 to 2015.
The court granted British authorities’ request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings against them were completed in Romania.
The Romanian case is still being argued at the pre-trial stage, where the defendant can challenge the prosecution’s evidence. No trial date has been set.
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Last week, the Bucharest Tribunal of First Instance extended a 60-day geographical restriction on the Tates, preventing them from leaving the country.
