A Romanian court rejected the plea of controversial influencer Andrew Tate to temporarily leave the country. Tate planned to visit his mother in the U.K. following her heart attack, according to his spokesperson.
Tate faces charges in Romania related to human trafficking, rape, and leading a criminal gang for sexual exploitation.
Tate’s spokesperson who expressed disappointment with the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s decision stated, “The ruling has left us disheartened.”
Tate, in a post on Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), informed followers of his mother’s hospitalization and expressed his intention to seek an “emergency visit to London.”
The court’s decision comes almost a year after Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women, was arrested near Bucharest. While the defendants have denied the allegations, formal indictments were issued by Romanian prosecutors in June. A trial date is pending, and the accused are prohibited from leaving the country.
The spokesperson emphasized the Tate brothers’ adherence to restrictions and their commitment to compliance, asserting they are not a flight risk. Tate’s lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, mentioned before the ruling that the brothers desired to spend the holidays in a familiar environment.
Andrew Tate tweeted post-decision that there is “no innocent until proven guilty in Romania.”
Earlier this month, geographical restrictions against the Tates were eased, allowing them to travel within Romania with prior court approval. This decision, final after prosecutors’ appeal rejection, permitted movement beyond the limits of Bucharest Municipality and nearby Ilfov County.
While the case against the defendants is in the preliminary stages, where challenges to prosecutors’ evidence can be presented, Andrew Tate, with 8.5 million followers on X, maintains his stance that there is no evidence against him, alleging a political conspiracy. He has faced previous social media bans for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.
