British masculinist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who were arrested in Romania for procuring in late December, appealed for their release in a Bucharest court on Tuesday.
• Also read: Romanian authorities are reportedly confiscating the Tate brothers’ car collection
• Also read: British influencer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania for 30 days
• Also read: Influencer Andrew Tate has been arrested on sex trafficking allegations
The two former kickboxers, aged 36 and 34 respectively, appeared handcuffed and dressed all in black at the behind-closed-doors hearing, AFP journalists noted.
“The day was long, the accused were able to speak up,” explained her lawyer Eugen Vidineac at the end of the several-hour hearing. The decision is expected “in the evening” at the earliest, he said and was “confident”.
They had appealed against their 30-day pre-trial detention, ordered by the judges on 30 December, on charges of “organizing a criminal organization, human trafficking and rape” by prosecutors.
The judges had charged them with a “risk of absconding” and a “danger to public order given the seriousness of the offences”.
So far, six potential victims have been identified. Duped by the two men who feigned feelings for them, they would have been violently forced into prostitution and the production of pornographic films, and some would have been isolated.
For Me Vidineac, “there is not a single piece of evidence that a crime of rape was committed.” He also denies the other charges and has vowed to “unveil the truth,” according to recent statements in local media.
The public prosecutor’s office, which has been investigating for many months, searched several of Andrew Tate’s properties at the end of December and took the two brothers into custody. Two of her relatives with Romanian nationality were also arrested.
Andrew Tate, who also has an American passport, appeared on the TV show Big Brother in 2016. He was eliminated from the competition after video showed him hitting a woman.
He then turned to social networks, where he had advocated masculinist theses, and specifically believed that female victims of sexual abuse should be held accountable.
His Twitter account was subsequently suspended before being reactivated in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of the network.
Now followed by 4.5 million people, the influencer was noticed shortly before his arrest through a very lively and extensively commented exchange with the ecologist Greta Thunberg.
With a shaved head, a trimmed beard and bulging muscles, he claims to be a multi-millionaire and advises men on how to help them get rich through Hustler University, a paid coaching website that has more than 160,000 clients will.
Many of the men’s assets, including their collection of luxury cars, have been sealed.