As part of an investigation into suspected cases of rape, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of women, Andrew Tate has appeared in court to contest his 30-day detention.
On December 29, Romanian anti-organized crime prosecutors arrested Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian female suspects awaiting a criminal investigation.
Through a lawyer, they have denied wrongdoing and contested the arrest warrant.
According to the prosecution, the Tate brothers lured their victims into a relationship by charming them and making up their desire for one.
Prosecutors claim that after being transferred to residences outside of the capital Bucharest, the victims were sexually exploited by being made to create pornographic material for social media platforms that yielded substantial financial profits.
In addition, according to the prosecution, one of the brothers sexually assaulted one of the victims in March of last year, when the inquiry was launched.
The court judge said in the written record allowing the arrest that “the likelihood that the accused would elude inquiry, leave Romania, and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial capabilities and public declarations to that respect cannot be overlooked.”
According to Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for Romania’s anti-organized crime unit DIICOT, prosecutors in the counties of Bucharest, Prahova, and Brasov have confiscated over 10 residences and homes as well as 15 expensive cars that belonged to the accused.
The goal of the seizure was to stop the assets from being hidden or sold.
If the court upholds the arrest warrant and further time is required for the investigation, prosecutors may ask the court for additional extensions of up to 180 days of custody.
Tate received widespread recognition for his hate speech and sexist statements, which led to his expulsion from all major social networking sites. However, since Elon Musk took over Twitter in November, Tate’s account has been reactivated.
The dual-nationality former professional kickboxer has said that women are partly to blame for being raped and that males should own them. He calls himself a misogynist.
On a podcast last year, he said that while he was still living in London, he began earning money by persuading many women to videochat and split the earnings with them.
How can I utilize these ladies to my financial advantage? Tate said that his company began with two girlfriends and reached its pinnacle when 75 women worked for him and earned $600,000 per month.
He also said that he came to Romania because he preferred to reside in nations where anybody might become corrupt after being the subject of an investigation for alleged sexual assault in the United Kingdom that finally resulted in their dismissal.
»Andrew and Tristan Tate arrive handcuffed for appeal verdict«