Controversial online influencer Andrew Tate has been released from house arrest by a Romanian court, pending the results of a criminal investigation, according to his spokesman.
Tate is not fully free yet; he must remain in Romania on probation, check in regularly with the authorities, and is prohibited from contacting other witnesses or suspects.
His spokesman stated, “Andrew Tate and his team remain committed to full cooperation and the pursuit of justice.” He then added, “This ruling marks a decisive step forward, granting Andrew the freedom to travel throughout Romania while adhering to the required legal conditions.”
Tate was placed under house arrest in August when prosecutors initiated a second criminal investigation into him, his brother Tristan, and four other suspects, on charges of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, and money laundering. All have denied the allegations.
Back in December, the Court of Appeals in Bucharest sent a separate case involving the Tate brothers back to prosecutors for the second time, stating that it could not proceed in its current form. In this case, Andrew and Tristan Tate face accusations of human trafficking and forming an organized group to sexually exploit women. They deny these accusations, as well as allegations of rape and human trafficking made against them in the UK, where authorities are seeking to extradite the dual UK-US nationals.
A judge in Bucharest has previously stated that the extradition request will be addressed once the case in Romania is concluded.
The two brothers also face accusations of tax evasion in the UK. In fact, last month a British court ruled that police could seize over £2 million ($2.4 million) from them for failing to pay taxes on £21 million in revenue generated from their online businesses.
Andrew Tate criticized the ruling, calling it “not justice” and describing it as a “coordinated attack.” He is a self-identified misogynist and has been banned from several social media platforms for promoting such controversial views and opinions.
