Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate has been ordered to remain under house arrest in Romania for another 30 days on charges of forming a criminal gang for rape, human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women, a Bucharest court ruled today.
Andrew, 36, and his brother Tristan Tate, 34, who are both dual UK-US citizens, have been at the center of a lengthy investigation after claims they exploited women for profit.
Earlier this week the pair appeared before a judge in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where they live, and Andrew told MailOnline he ‘believes in God and justice’ as he entered court.
Both have denied the allegations against them and Andrew, who grew up in Luton, Bedfordshire, insists the allegations are ‘part of a conspiracy by Matrix to trump up and target rich, influential men’.
Two women – Luana Radu and Georgiana Nagel – are jointly charged with the Tate brothers and appeared in court alongside them on Wednesday for a 90-minute hearing.
Andrew (pictured on June 21), 36, and his brother Tristan Tate, 34, who are both dual UK-US citizens, have been at the center of a lengthy investigation after claims they exploited women for profit.
Earlier this week the pair appeared before a judge in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, where they live, and as he entered court Andrew told MailOnline he ‘believed in God and justice’ (Picture: Tristan Tate 21 June)
Ahead of the court’s decision on Friday, Andrew posted a dig at diplomats for failing to help him on Twitter, saying: ‘If I were transsexual, the US embassy would immediately take me out of jail and strongly condemn Romania for being transphobic. ‘
It was feared that a lightning strike by judges over pensions would delay their appearance, but the case went ahead after it was decided it was a ‘top level priority’.
In their judgement, the court said: ‘The four accused shall be placed under house arrest till further check but not exceeding 30 days.’
A prosecution source told MailOnline: ‘The judge decided that the house arrest was lawful after examining the validity and reliability of the house arrest.’
Reigning self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew posted a picture of himself in boxing gloves on Twitter with the caption: ‘Pain and suffering for breakfast.’
The brothers were charged earlier this week by prosecutors in the Romanian capital Bucharest where they both now live and have been under investigation since last year.
Romania’s DIICOT investigators ordered the seizure of assets from the brother, including 15 high-end cars, 14 luxury watches and around £440,000 in cryptocurrency as part of the probe.
The brothers live in a high-security gated compound in Bucharest and have a fortune of £10 million, which officials believe includes money made after women were forced to make sexually explicit videos.
When MailOnline went to the compound on the outskirts of town, two thick-set security guards in black opened the door saying the brothers were ‘unavailable’ and told us to leave.
Andrew was previously banned from a string of social media platforms for posting vulgar views and hate speech.
Romania’s DIICOT law enforcement agency said in a statement after the brothers’ arrest in December that it had identified victims in human trafficking cases who had allegedly been subjected to ‘physical violence and emotional coercion’ and sexual exploitation by gang members.
The agency alleged that victims were lured with the pretense of ‘love’ and then intimidated, in what it called the ‘Loverboy method’.
It added: ‘The four defendants established a criminal group organized on Romanian territory but also in other countries such as the United States and Great Britain.’
DIICOT alleged that seven victims it identified were kept under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics to engage in pornographic work for the group’s financial gain.
The women are an American and six Romanians whose identities have not been released and are said to be in protective custody.
In April, the Tate brothers won a tribunal appeal to be moved from police custody to house arrest while prosecutors continued their investigation.
A judge approved the release of the Tate brothers after four separate rulings to extend their prison terms after their initial arrest in December.
It was extended to the brothers as well as two women released under house arrest.
All four were ordered to remain in the buildings they live in, unless given judicial permission to leave, and face up to 13 years in prison if convicted.
Read Full News Here