Statements invalid

Court refuses to start trial against Tate brothers

(Bild: AFP)

The ongoing criminal proceedings in Romania against the British-American influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan as well as two alleged accomplices have been declared irregular by a court. If the public prosecutor's office wants to pursue the charges further, it would have to restart the proceedings completely.

The Court of Appeal in Bucharest justified the legally binding decision by stating, among other things, that statements made by two victims were invalid.

The public prosecutor's office had accused Andrew (38) and Tristan Tate (36) of abusing and exploiting women. The brothers' lawyer described the court decision as a "significant legal victory".

The Court of Appeal also complained that Andrew Tate's right to defense had been violated when he was informed of the charges against one of his victims. Statements made by the Tate brothers as witnesses were invalid as evidence. Furthermore, the prosecutors had failed to specify the sums of money to be confiscated from the defendants.

Tristan Tate wrote on Platform X that he had wished for a "not guilty". "After a thorough examination of the legality of the investigation, the court has correctly determined that there is no sufficient basis to continue the proceedings," the brothers' lawyer Eugen Vidineac was quoted as saying by the Romanian internet newspaper "g4media.ro".

Accusation: Exploitation using the "loverboy method"
 The public prosecutor's office had accused the Tates of forcing young women to participate in commercially distributed sex videos. They used manipulation techniques such as the so-called loverboy method to make them dependent on them. In an initial indictment in June 2023, the brothers and the alleged accomplices were accused of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal organization.

The Tates and the alleged accomplices were first arrested near Bucharest on December 30, 2022. This measure was later changed to house arrest, after which they were released on condition that they did not leave the country. In August of this year, a court ordered Andrew Tate to be placed under house arrest again after a brief detention. Shortly before this, investigators had confiscated a further 16 luxury cars and large sums of money belonging to the brothers following house searches.

Almost three dozen victims identified
The public prosecutor's office recently identified a total of 34 women as victims of the crimes, including a 15-year-old girl. By exploiting the women, the brothers are said to have made a criminal profit of at least 2.8 million dollars (around 2.5 million euros). The two brothers deny all allegations.

Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, had reached millions of teenagers and young men with misogynistic statements on social networks. His brother Tristan assisted him.