- A Romanian court ruled on Friday that social media mogul Andrew Tait can travel without restrictions within the European Union while he awaits trial.
- Tate is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal ring to sexually exploit women.
- Tate was arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women.
A court in the Romanian capital ruled on Friday that social media mogul Andrew Tait can leave Romania but must remain in the European Union while he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal ring to sexually exploit women.
The Bucharest court’s decision to allow Tate, 37, to leave the country was hailed by his spokesman, Mattea Petrescu, as “a major victory and a major step forward in the case.” It was unclear whether prosecutors could or would appeal the court’s decision.
Tait, a former professional kickboxer who has dual British and American nationality, was arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally charged all four in June last year, but all four deny the charges.
Romanian court sets trial for Andrew Tate on rape and human trafficking charges
After Friday’s verdict, Tait posted on social media platform X: “I am free. After 3 years I can leave Romania. The bogus case is falling apart.”
Andrew Tate smiles as he waits for his hearing with his brother Tristan, left, inside the Court of Appeal building in Bucharest, Romania, June 26, 2024. A court in the Romanian capital ruled Friday that Tate can leave Romania but must remain in the European Union while he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal ring to sexually exploit women. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
“We welcome and applaud the court’s decision today and believe it is a reflection of my clients’ exemplary behavior and support,” said Eugene Bidinac, one of Mr Tait’s lawyers, adding that the Taits “remain determined to restore their honour and reputation.”
On April 26, a Bucharest court ruled that the prosecution’s case against Tate met legal standards and the trial could begin, but did not set a start date. The ruling came after the case had been argued for months at the preliminary hearing stage, where the defense could challenge the prosecution’s evidence and the case record.
After their arrest, the Tate brothers were held in police custody for three months before being transferred to house arrest, after which they were restricted to the city of Bucharest and the neighboring county of Ilfov, before being transferred to Romania.
Mr Vidinec said being able to travel within the 27-nation EU would allow the Taits to “pursue professional opportunities without restriction”.
Andrew Tait speaks to media as he leaves Romania’s Organized Crime and Counter-Terrorism Directorate following a digital investigation of the device in Bucharest, Romania, on January 25, 2023. (Mihai Barbu/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew Tait, who has 9.5 million followers on social media platform “X,” has repeatedly claimed that the prosecution has no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He has previously been banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and using hate speech.
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In a separate case, Andrew Tait received civil complaints from four British women at his home in Romania after the High Court in London issued a complaint, according to a statement in May from McCue, Jury & Partners, the law firm representing the four British women.
The four alleged that Tait sexually and physically assaulted them and reported them to British authorities in 2014 and 2015. After a four-year investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute him in 2019. The four alleged victims then used crowdfunding to launch a civil lawsuit against him.
Andrew Tate arrives at the Bucharest City Court in Romania on June 21, 2023. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)
In a third separate case, the Tait brothers appeared before the Bucharest Court of Appeal in March after British authorities issued arrest warrants for them on sexual assault charges in British cases dating back to 2012 and 2015.
The Court of Appeal granted Britain’s request to extradite the Taits to Britain only after legal proceedings in Romania have been completed.
