Romanian court extends judicial measures against online influencer awaiting human trafficking trial

A court in Romania's capital on Friday extended geographical restrictions against an online influencer who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

 A court in Romania's capital on Friday extended geographical restrictions against an online influencer who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

The Bucharest Tribunal extended by 60 days the restrictions stipulating Andrew Tate, 37, may not leave the country. Tate had requested that he be able to leave Romania provided he stayed within Europe's ID-check-free Schengen zone, which Romania partially joined in March. Eugen Vidineac, one of Tate's lawyers, said they will appeal the decision.

Tate, a former professional kickboxer and dual British-U.S. citizen, was initially arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and all four have denied the allegations.

On April 26, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the prosecutors' case file against Tate met the legal criteria and that a trial could start but did not set a date for it to begin. That ruling came after the legal case had been discussed for months in the preliminary chamber stages, a process in which the defendants can challenge prosecutors' evidence and case file.

After that decision last month, Vidineac argued it "lacks legal basis and reasoning" and said they "filed a strong appeal as we believe the ruling to be unlawful."

Andrew Tate, who has amassed 9.1 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for allegedly expressing misogynistic views and for hate speech.

Speaking to reporters about his legal case outside the court on Wednesday this week, Andrew Tate said: "It's up to the judge, the judge will decide what the judge will decide, I remain rich and famous -- nothing matters."