Romanian court eases travel restrictions on Tate

A Romanian court has ruled that internet personality Andrew Tate can travel within the European Union without restrictions while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges, his lawyer said.

Tate was charged in mid-2023 with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, charges they have denied.

In April this year, the Bucharest court ruled that their trial could begin, a decision that Tate appealed.

Pending an appeal decision, the four suspects were banned from leaving Romania, but Friday's court ruling lifted that restriction for the European Union.

The decision is not final and can be appealed by prosecutors.

“My judges have decided… I'm allowed to leave Romania, so do we take the (Ferrari) SF90 to Italy, the (Maserati) MC20 to Cannes, the (Ferrari) 812 Competition to Paris, where do I go?” Tate said in a video posted on social network X.

The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, are the most high-profile suspects on trial for human trafficking in Romania and their case will be a test for Romania's DIICOT anti-organised crime unit.

The brothers were taken into custody during the criminal investigation from late December 2022 to April 2023 to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.

They were then placed under house arrest until August, when the courts placed them under judicial supervision – a lighter preventive measure.

“Andrew and Tristan remain committed to clearing their names and reputations; however, they are grateful to the courts for granting them that trust,” the brothers’ lead attorney, Eugen Vidineac, said in a statement.

Romanian prosecutors said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.

They said the victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest and, through physical violence and mental intimidation, sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gains.

Tate has won millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.