Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have won a court battle and are now free to leave Romania.
The caveat is the brothers, who are awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, must stay within the European Union while they wait for trial proceedings to begin, The Associated Press reports.
The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision to allow Tate, 37, to leave the country was hailed by his spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, as a “significant victory and a major step forward” in the case. It is not clear whether prosecutors can or will appeal the court’s decision.
Tate, a former professional kickboxer and dual British-U.S. citizen, and his brother were arrested in December 2022 in Bucharest along with two Romanian women. All four were formally indicted in June of last year and they have all denied the allegations.
After the Tate brothers’ arrest, they were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to Bucharest municipality and nearby Ilfov county, and then to Romania.
The Bucharest Tribunal ruled on April 26 that the prosecutors’ case file against Tate and his brother met the legal criteria, but did not set a date for the trial to begin.
Tate has repeatedly claimed that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence to use against him and that there is a conspiracy to silence him.
FILE – Andrew Tate, centre, and his brother Tristan, leave after appearing at the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2023. The divisive social media personality Andrew Tate arrived at a court in Romania in handcuffs on Tuesday morning to appeal a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape.
Alexandru Dobre / The Associated Press
After Friday’s decision, Tate wrote on the social media platform X: “I AM FREE. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 YEARS I CAN LEAVE ROMANIA. THE SHAM CASE IS FALLING APART.”
“We embrace and applaud the decision of the court today, I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behavior and assistance of my clients,” said Eugen Vidineac, one of Tate’s lawyers, adding that the Tates are “still determined to clear their name and reputation.”
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The brothers are also wanted in the U.K. over sexual offences allegedly committed there.
In March, a Romanian court approved the extradition of the Tate brothers to the U.K., but only after the trial proceedings in Romania have been completed.
A controversial albeit popular figure online, Tate is best known for his openly misogynistic rhetoric and for flaunting his seemingly wealthy lifestyle, complete with luxury cars, private jets and designer clothing.
He’s been banned from numerous social media platforms over claims that his videos spread hateful messaging to his millions of followers, a large subset of whom were minors.
Who is Andrew Tate?
Tate rose to social media fame for his showy displays of wealth and claims that he could teach young men how to become an “alpha male.”
His brazen misogyny has always made him a polarizing figure online, but his platform grew when he appeared as a contestant on the British version of reality TV show Big Brother in 2016. Tate was removed from the competition after a video of him surfaced in which he can be seen attacking a woman with a belt. Both Andrew and the woman in the video have since said the act was consensual.
In the years afterward, he’s became an idolized figure to some men who admire his anti-feminist messaging.
FILE – Police officers escort Andrew Tate to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.
Andreea Alexandru / The Associated Press
Among his more famous quotes, Tate has said it is impossible to be a realist, as he claims to be, while also believing in gender equality. He once had his X account deactivated for saying that women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted, though his account has since been reinstated.
He told the BBC in 2023 that he has not harmed young people with his misogynistic views but is rather “acting under the instruction of God to do good things.”
He used to run a now-defunct online coaching course, called Hustlers University, where he advertised teaching men various pickup techniques for a fee.
Before his arrests, Tate claimed to be a “self-made multi-millionaire” as a result of running an adult entertainment webcam business that would see women allegedly working for him, livestreaming explicit content.
— With files from Global News’ Sarah Do Couto and The Associated Press
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