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Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are handcuffed together when they arrive at the Romanian court to find out if their appeal against the 30-day arrest for human trafficking has been successful.
- The Tate brothers and two Romanian suspects appear in court in Bucharest today.
- They have denied any wrongdoing after the arrests for alleged trafficking and rape
- Prosecutors can request an additional 180 days of detention if the appeal is denied
Andrew Tate has come to court to challenge his 30-day arrest as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking, rape and exploitation of women.
Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian suspects were detained by Romanian organized crime prosecutors on December 29 pending a criminal investigation.
They have denied wrongdoing through a lawyer and have challenged the arrest warrant.
Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship.
Andrew Tate arrived in court to challenge his 30-day arrest as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking, rape and exploitation of women (pictured with his brother Tristan)
The victims were then taken to properties on the outskirts of the capital, Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation they were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social networking sites that generated huge financial gains, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also said that one of the brothers raped one of the victims in March of last year, when the investigation began.
“The possibility that the suspects evade the investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition due to their financial possibilities and public comments about it cannot be ignored,” said the court judge in the minutes that approved the arrest.
Prosecutors seized 15 luxury vehicles and more than 10 properties and houses belonging to the suspects in Bucharest and Prahova and Brasov counties, Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for the Romanian anti-organized crime unit DIICOT, told Reuters.
The seizure was intended to prevent the sale or concealment of the assets.
Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship.
If the court confirms the arrest warrant and the investigation needs more time, prosecutors can request the approval of new extensions of up to 180 days of detention under Romanian law.
Tate gained mainstream notoriety for his misogynistic comments and hate speech, which got him banned from all major social media platforms, though since Elon Musk took over Twitter, his account was reinstated in November.
The former professional boxer, who has American and British nationality, has said that women are partly responsible for being raped and that it belongs to men. He is a self-proclaimed misogynist.
In a podcast last year, he said he started making money by convincing various girlfriends to video chat and share the profits when he lived 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 and earning $600,000 a month.
He also said he moved to Romania after being investigated in the UK on sexual assault charges, which were eventually dropped because he liked living in countries where corruption was accessible to everyone.