Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has won an appeal in a Romanian court to reassess the return of his assets which have been seized as he awaits trial on human trafficking charges.
As well as trafficking, Tate is facing allegations of rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women with his brother Tristan and two other Romanian women.
In December, the Bucharest court overturned the British-American influencer’s challenge against the asset seizure but on Monday, the Bucharest Court of Appeals accepted his request and ordered that the seizure be reanalysed.
The ruling has referred the earlier ruling for a retrial, meaning that the Tate brothers will be able to return to court and mount a new effort to reclaim their seized assets.
Both he and his brother Tristan are facing human trafficking charges— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Through their adult content, social media sites and online courses, the brothers are understood to have amassed a fortune of millions and acquired expensive properties, cars and personal items.
In January 2023, expensive cars were seen being removed from one of their properties near Bucharest while watches worth millions have also been confiscated.
Eugen Vidineac, lead counsel for Tate, said: “We salute the decision today and applaud the judge for what we consider to be a legally correct and justified ruling.”
Both brothers have strenuously denied the charges against them, which include that they exploited women via their adult content business.
Both brothers are set to face trial and are unable to leave Romania— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Seven alleged victims have been identified in court documents, while two female Romanian associates have also been charged alongside the brothers for assisting their criminal group.
They were first arrested in December 2022 and spent the following months in prison before being placed under house arrest. They are currently unable to leave Romania and are due to stand trial at an unconfirmed date.
In a post on his official Twitter account, Andrew Tate said a court will now have to demonstrate the wealth was acquired illegally in order to justify the ongoing seizure, adding: "They won’t prove a thing because it never happened."
