Romania court extends restrictions for influencer Andrew Tate

Andrew Tate, au centre, et son frère Tristan, partent après avoir comparu devant la Cour d'appel de Bucarest, Roumanie, le mardi 10 janvier

A Romanian court on Tuesday ruled to retain legal restrictions on masculinist influencer Andrew Tate, who faces a human trafficking probe, a day after easing similar requirements on Tate and his brother.

A Bucharest court on Monday lifted the judicial supervision imposed on Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, over one of the human trafficking investigations they are facing.

But in another line of inquiry, the court on Tuesday dismissed Tate’s complaint as “unfounded” and ordered “the extension of the preventive measure of judicial control,” it said in a statement sent to AFP.

While under judicial supervision, Tate can be called on by the authorities and needs to report to them.

Tate’s PR team said they would not comment on the decision.

Tate, 39, a self-described misogynist who has nearly 11 million followers on X alone, has repeatedly protested his innocence.

Romanian police and prosecutors have been investigating the Tate brothers since 2022 over allegations that they deceived women and girls to sexually exploit them.

Andrew Tate, a dual British-American national, is also accused of rape.

The brothers were initially held in custody for several months.

They were then released into house arrest before being subject to looser bail conditions that allowed them to travel abroad.

The pair have not stood full trial in Romania on any of the accusations.

The two also face investigations in other countries.

In March, British police said they had reopened an investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Andrew Tate for a period covering 2014 and 2015.