Andrew Tate and his brother in court on human trafficking charges

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan appeared in a Romanian court on Wednesday to face charges of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

The self-proclaimed misogynist, his brother and two Romanian female suspects have already been charged by Romanian authorities and will stand trial.

The defendants are all under house arrest pending a criminal investigation into abuses committed against seven women. The Tate brothers have denied the accusations.

Prosecutors say some of the female victims were “misled” by “false allegations of marriage and love.”

Andrew Tate was also accused of raping one of the victims, while his brother Tristan was charged with inciting violence.

Asked by journalists: “How much money have you made from trafficking women?” ” in court before Wednesday's hearing, Tate responded: “Zero.”

The Tate spokesperson said Tuesday that the brothers were prepared to “demonstrate their innocence and defend their reputations.”

She said: “Tate's legal team stands ready to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities, presenting all evidence necessary to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations. »

Under Romanian law, a judge has 60 days to inspect the cases to ensure their legality. Adult trafficking is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Tate, 36, has repeatedly claimed that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and that the case is politically motivated.

The brothers were first arrested in Bucharest in December last year and detained until March before being placed under house arrest.

Romania's organized crime agency said the seven alleged victims were recruited based on false declarations of love and taken to Ilfov County, Romania, where they were forced to participate in pornographic activities.

The women were allegedly controlled through “intimidation and constant surveillance” and claimed they were in debt, prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors ordered the forfeiture of the Tate brothers' assets, including 15 luxury cars, designer watches and around three million dollars (£2.3 million) in cryptocurrency, the agency said in a statement.

Andrew Tate is a British-American kickboxer born in Chicago, Illinois but raised in Luton, England. He is the son of the late chess player Emory Tate.

Tate worked as a television producer while training as a kickboxer, before fighting professionally.

Her appearance on Big Brother in 2016 launched her life into the public eye. Since then, Tate has gained notoriety for his offensive and misogynistic comments on social media.

Tate's videos have been viewed millions of times, sparking widespread criticism and prompting calls from women's rights charities for him to be removed from social media.