BUCHAREST, Jan 10 (Portal) – A Romanian court is due on Tuesday to rule on a challenge filed by Andrew Tate, an internet personality notorious for hate speech, against his 30-day arrest for alleged human trafficking and the formation of an organized crime group of six women to exploit.
Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects were arrested by Romanian organized crime prosecutors on December 29 pending criminal investigations. They have denied the wrongdoing through a lawyer and challenged the arrest warrant.
Prosecutors said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship.
The victims were then taken to properties on the outskirts of the capital, Bucharest, and sexually exploited through physical violence and mental intimidation, forcing them to produce pornographic content for social media sites, which prosecutors said yielded large financial gains.
Prosecutors also said one of the brothers raped one of the victims in March last year, when the investigation began.
“The possibility of the suspects evading investigation, leaving Romania and settling in countries that do not allow extradition due to their financial capabilities and public comments about it cannot be ignored,” the judge said in the written confirmation of the arrest .
Prosecutors have seized 15 luxury vehicles and over 10 properties and houses belonging to the suspects in Bucharest and Prahova and Brasov counties, Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for Romania’s anti-organized crime unit DIICOT, told Portal.
[1/4] Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Bucharest Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania January 10, 2023. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via Portal
The seizure was intended to prevent the assets from being sold or concealed.
If the court upholds the arrest warrant and the investigation takes more time, Romanian law allows prosecutors to authorize a further extension of the detention up to 180 days.
Tate gained notoriety for misogynist remarks and hate speech, leading to his being banned from all major social media platforms, although his account has been restored since Elon Musk took over Twitter in November.
The former professional kickboxer, who has US and British citizenship, said women are partly responsible for rape and belonged to men. He is a self-confessed misogynist.
In a podcast last year, he said he started making money by persuading several girlfriends to video chat and share the profits when he was living in London.
“How can I use these women to make money?” Tate said, adding that his business started with two girlfriends and peaked with 75 women working for him, making $600,000 a month.
He also said he moved to Romania after sexual assault inquiries were launched in the UK, which were ultimately dropped because he liked living in countries where corruption was accessible to everyone.
Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Nick Macfie
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