Bucharest, Romania –
A court in the Romanian capital on Tuesday agreed to extend the detention of social media influencer Andrew Tate for another 30 days on charges of organized crime and human trafficking, officials said.
Tate, 36, a British and US citizen with 5.1 million Twitter followers and known for his misogynistic views, was killed on December 29 when authorities stormed his property north of Bucharest. Arrested. His brother, Tristan, and his two Romanian women are also in custody in the same case. None of the four have been formally charged.
Ramona Bora, spokeswoman for DIICOT, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, told The Associated Press that the Bucharest court approved the prosecutor’s request to detain the Tates family for an additional 30 days, and the two women were placed under house arrest. He said he would.
It was the third 30-day extension granted since the Tates were arrested. The brothers also lost their appeal on February 1 against a judge’s January 20 decision to keep them in jail while the investigation continues.
Documents explaining the earlier decision said the judge had considered “the defendant’s particular risk” and the ability to identify victims “who were more vulnerable in their quest for better life opportunities.” .
Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers representing the Tate brothers, told journalists ahead of Tuesday’s sentencing that the defense team would contest another extension if one was issued. He argued that so far the defense had “virtually paralyzed the evidence” in the case, and that there was enough evidence to hold the Tates in custody.
Tate, who has been living in Romania since 2017, was reportedly banned from various social media platforms for voicing misogyny and hate speech. He repeatedly claimed that there was no such thing, and that their incident was a “political” attack designed to silence him.
A post posted on Andrew Tate’s Twitter account ahead of Tuesday’s decision expressed confidence in his lawyers and his eventual release. produce any state. ”
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency said in a post-arrest statement in December that six victims had been subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” in human trafficking cases and sexually exploited by members of criminal groups. He said he had identified a person.
According to the agency, victims were lured under the pretense of love and later blackmailed, placed under surveillance, subjected to other control tactics, and coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the criminal group. It was
In January, Romanian authorities descended on a site linked to the Tate brothers near Bucharest, towing luxury cars including Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and Porsches. I’m here.
Prosecutors say that if the car owner can prove that he or she made money through trafficking or other illegal activities, the money will be used to pay for the investigation and compensate the victims. Tate also did not appeal the foreclosure.
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McGrath contributed from Sighisoara, Romania.
