Andrew Tate loses latest appeal to be released from Romanian prison amid human trafficking case

Andrew Tate’s appeal against a 30-day extension of his detention in Romania has been denied by a court, meaning the social media influencer will remain in prision.

Tate was appealing against a judge’s decision to keep him in Romanian prison on 21 February for a further 30 days – the third appeal against his detention since his arrest.

The 36-year-old British-US citizen, who has become best known for his misogynistic rants and views, arrived in court in Bucharest handcuffed to his brother Tristan, who is also being held in detention.

Romana Bolla, a spokesman for Romania’s anti-organised crime unit which is also known as DIICOT, said prosecutors also won an appeal against a court’s decision to place two women held in the same case under house arrest, rather than full detention.

Nobody has yet been charged in the investigation, and all four people will be kept in prison until at least 29 March.

The judge took into account the “particular dangerousness of the defendants”, according to a court document outlining the decision, as well as their ability to identify the victims “with an increased vulnerability in search of better life opportunities”.

The influencer has lived in Romania since 2017, and has previously been banned from various social media platforms over his views.

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He has repeatedly said that prosecutors have no evidence, and alleged the case is a “political” conspiracy designed to keep him quiet – a view also expressed by his supporters online.

A post on Tate’s Twitter account said on Monday morning before the hearing: “I’ve been in jail for 61 days. But not allowed a single visit. Not even from my children.”

In a statement after the initial arrests, DIICOT said it had found six victims in the human trafficking case, who say they were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion”, and allegedly sexually exploited by the people who have been arrested.

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DIICOT added the victims said they were lured with pretences of love, but were later intimidated and placed under surveillance and subjected to control tactics, while being made to engage in pornographic acts for financial gain of those under arrest.

Last month, authorities in Romania seized millions of pounds of Tate’s assets from a compound outside the capital, including a fleet of luxury vehicles.

If it can be proved the car’s owners gained their money through illegal activities, prosecutors say they will be used to cover the costs of the investigation and compensate any victims.

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