Andrew Tate is banned from leaving Romania after an appeals court overturned a ruling allowing him to travel within the EU.
The Bucharest Court of Appeal announced on Tuesday that it had overturned an earlier ruling that allowed the controversial internet personalities free movement within the European Union while they await trial on human trafficking charges.
Pending the start of the trial, they are not allowed to leave Romania.
It came after Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan, 35, celebrated being allowed to leave the country for the first time in two years two weeks ago.
The former kickboxer announced the news on July 5 via X, formerly Twitter, declaring, “I AM FREE… THE FAKE CASE IS FALLING APART.”
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are banned from leaving Romania after an appeals court overturned an earlier ruling allowing them to travel within the EU. Pictured: Andrew Tate, left, and his brother Tristan wait inside the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Tate poses outside the Bucharest Court of Appeal before the court overturned a July 5 ruling that allowed him and his brother to leave Romanian territory, on condition he remain within the European Union, while he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Andrew Tate grimaces as he arrives at court
Tate and his brother were charged in mid-2023 with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. They deny these charges.
Romanian prosecutors formally charged Tate in June, along with Tristan and two Romanian women in the same case.
All four were arrested near Bucharest in late December 2022 and all four deny the allegations made against them.
Two weeks ago, when the brothers first received news that they would be allowed to leave Romania, a spokesman for the pair said: ‘The Romanian courts have ruled in favour of Andrew and Tristan Tate and lifted the restrictions on their travel within the European Union.’ He added: ‘This is an important victory and a major step forward in the ongoing case.’
“It reflects the significant progress the legal team has made in challenging the allegations brought against them.
Andrew and Tristan’s attorney, Eugene Vidineac, said: “We embrace and applaud the court’s decision today. I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behavior and assistance of my clients.
‘Andrew and Tristan remain determined to clear their names and reputations. However, they are grateful to the court for the trust it has placed in them.
‘For the brothers, who have been dealing with restrictions on movement for almost two years, this ruling is a welcome relief.
‘It allows them to resume their lives with more freedom and peace of mind.
‘They can now travel freely throughout the EU to pursue careers without restrictions.’
However, this ‘relief’ was short-lived, as today the verdict was overturned.
Just two weeks ago, the brothers celebrated when they received the news that they would be allowed to leave Romania and move freely within the European Union.
Tate went to X on July 5 to share a message celebrating the fact that he was granted the right to leave Romania for the first time in two years. However, the celebration was short-lived
Pictured: A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, center, handcuffed, from the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
In the bizarre video, which Tate posted on July 5, he walked topless around parked supercars and said, “For the first time in almost three years, a judge has ruled that I can leave Romania.”
He also called the charges a “sham case” and then referred to a platform that claims to teach the art of making money and plead his innocence.
Tate and Tristan were arrested in December 2022, along with two Romanian women: model Georgiana Naghel and former police officer Luana Radu. However, they were charged in June of last year.
The two female suspects, dubbed ‘Tate’s Angels’, also face extradition to the UK once their trial in Romania is completed.
The brothers are accused in the UK of ten counts of rape and sexual abuse by three alleged victims.
The pair received complaints from victims who claimed they had been drugged and subjected to sexual acts between 2012 and 2015.
Under Romanian law, human trafficking and rape are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The Tate brothers were held in police custody from late December 2022 to April 2023 during the criminal investigation, to prevent them from fleeing the country or falsifying evidence.
They were then placed under house arrest until August, when the courts placed them under judicial supervision, a lighter preventive measure that allowed them to move freely but not leave the country.
According to Romanian prosecutors, the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them through social media and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship or marriage. Eventually, they pretended to fall in love with them and lured them to their villa on the outskirts of Bucharest to work for their company.
The victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest and sexually exploited through physical violence and mental intimidation. They were forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites, which brought them significant financial gain, prosecutors said.
Tate, who has 9.7 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political plot to silence him.
This is a breaking news story. More to come