Masculinist influencer Andrew Tate, suspected of sexual assault, is now subject to extradition to the United Kingdom but only after his trial in Romania in a separate case, which could take years. Targeted by a British arrest warrant dated January 19, 2024, he was arrested Monday evening with his brother Tristan, 35, in their residence located near Bucharest.
The two men were released on Tuesday but remain under judicial supervision pending a new court decision on Wednesday. These are suspicions dating back to 2012-2015, said the Tate communications team. According to the same source, the complaints “were rejected” in 2017-2019 but have “resurfaced” in recent months.
Leak rumors
The former kickboxing world champion and his brother Tristan, 35, “categorically rejected” these new allegations, saying they were “dismayed and deeply disturbed”, while welcoming the decision of the Bucharest appeal court to postpone the extradition procedure. “This judgment allows the brothers to fully participate in their defense (in Romania) and the legal proceedings to take place in a transparent manner,” said their lawyer Eugen Vidineac in a press release.
The court did not say whether the charges were against four UK-based women. In June 2023, they formally notified their accusations in a letter requesting damages, reporting “aggravated rape, serious physical assault and coercive behavior”. The McCue Jury&Partners firm, which represents them, mentioned in a press release recent “information indicating a possible plan to flee the Tates”.
“It’s totally fanciful. There is no proof, no truth” in this assertion, reacted Me Vidineac. During the hearing, the two accused, dressed in black, refused to be extradited immediately, with Andrew Tate criticizing a “botched, 10-year-old” case. “I first want to complete the procedure in Romania” and “prove to the world my innocence,” he told the judge.
A first trial for human trafficking
The Tate brothers are currently awaiting trial in Romania in a separate case of organized human trafficking, with the courts suspecting them of having duped several women for sexual exploitation. They were arrested at the end of 2022 and spent three months in detention in Bucharest. Indicted in June 2023, they are not authorized to leave the country.
According to prosecutors, the victims were trapped by the two men who simulated feelings towards them (the so-called loverboy method), before being forced “by acts of physical violence and psychological coercion” into the production of pornographic films. Andrew Tate is also accused of rape, committed twice.
Nine million subscribers
The American-British influencer has lived in Romania for several years. Before finding himself behind bars, he said he appreciated “the freedom” and “the fact that corruption is accessible to everyone”. He first rose to prominence as a contestant on the UK reality TV show Big Brother in 2016. But he was quickly eliminated after a video surfaced showing him punching a girl. female. Then he turned to social media.
Banned from Instagram and TikTok for misogynistic remarks, he is followed by nearly nine million people on the social network his luxury cars. He promotes masculinist theses and gives his advice to men to help them become rich. His name is one of the most searched on Google.