Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate will be detained in Romania for a further 30 days after losing an appeal at a Romanian court.
The former professional kickboxer was initially detained by police on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking. He appeared in a Bucharest court earlier today to appeal against a judge’s January 20, decision to extend his arrest a second time for 30 days, according to Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for Romania’s anti-organised crime agency DIICOT.
The 36-year-old, who has nearly five million followers on Twitter appeared in the court on Wednesday morning handcuffed to his brother Tristan who is held in the same case alongside two Romanian women. In a document seen by the Associated Press, the judge took into account when deciding on January 20 to extend their detention the "particular dangerousness of the defendant".
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The court rejected all four appeals and they will remain in custody until February 27, as prosecutors continue investigating the case. Ioan Gliga, a lawyer representing the Tate brothers, said the defence presented “solid arguments” that the extended detention period “is not necessary”.
“The probationary (period) originally considered the value of this preventative measure for 30 days and it was significantly diluted by other means of evidence administered in the meantime,” he said.
Mr Tate, who has reportedly lived in Romania since 2017, was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech. He has claimed there is “zero evidence” against him in the case and alleged it is instead a political attack to silence him.
“My case is not criminal, it’s political. It’s not about justice or fairness. It’s about attacking my influence on the world,” read a post that appeared on his Twitter account.
An online petition launched in January to free the brothers has garnered nearly 100,000 signatures.
Earlier in January, Romanian authorities descended on a compound near Bucharest where they towed away a fleet of luxury cars that included a blue Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a Porsche. They reported seizing assets worth an estimated $3.9 million.
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