Andrew Tate has been banned from leaving Romania after an appeals court overturned a ruling allowing him to travel within the EU.
The Bucharest Court of Appeals said Tuesday it had overturned an earlier ruling allowing the controversial internet personality to move freely within the European Union while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges.
While awaiting the start of their trial, they are prohibited from leaving Romania.
This comes after Tate, 37, and her brother Tristan, 35, celebrated two weeks ago being allowed to leave the country for the first time in two years.
The former kickboxer took to X, formerly Twitter, on July 5 to announce the news, declaring, “I’M FREE… THE FAKE CASE IS FALLING APART.”
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been banned from leaving Romania after an appeals court overturned an earlier ruling allowing them to travel within the EU. Pictured: Andrew Tate, left, and his brother Tristan wait inside the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Tate poses at the Bucharest Court of Appeals before it overturned a July 5 ruling that allowed him and his brother to leave Romanian territory as long as they remained within the European Union, while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Andrew Tate grimaces as he arrives at court
Tate and his brother were charged in mid-2023 with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, which they deny.
Romanian prosecutors formally charged Tate in June along with Tristan and two Romanian women in the same case.
All four were arrested in late December 2022 near Bucharest and have all denied the charges against them.
Two weeks ago, when the brothers received the initial news that they could leave Romania, a spokesperson for the couple said: “The Romanian courts have ruled in favour of Andrew and Tristan Tate, lifting restrictions on their travel within the European Union,” adding: “This represents a significant victory and a major step forward in the ongoing case.”
‘This reflects the significant progress the legal team has made in challenging the allegations brought against them.
Andrew and Tristan’s lawyer, Eugene Vidineac, said: ‘We welcome and applaud the court’s decision today. I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behaviour and assistance of my clients.
‘Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their names and reputations, however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them.
‘For the brothers, who have faced movement restrictions for nearly two years, this ruling is a welcome relief.
‘It allows them to resume their lives with greater freedom and peace of mind.
“They can now travel freely throughout the EU to pursue professional opportunities without restrictions.”
However, this “relief” was short-lived as the ruling was overturned today.
Just two weeks ago, the brothers celebrated the news that they were allowed to leave Romania and were given freedom of movement within the European Union.
On July 5, Tate traveled to X to share a message celebrating having been granted the right to leave Romania for the first time in two years. However, this celebration was short-lived.
Pictured: A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, center, in handcuffs, from the Court of Appeals in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024
In Tate’s bizarre video posted on July 5, he walks topless around parked supercars and says, “For the first time in almost three years, the judge has decided that I can leave Romania.”
He also referred to the charges as a “false case” before referencing a platform that claims to teach the skill of making money and protesting his innocence.
Tate and Tristan were initially arrested in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women, model Georgiana Naghel and former police officer Luana Radu, but were previously charged in June last year.
The two suspects, dubbed “Tate’s angels”, also face extradition to the UK once their legal proceedings in Romania are concluded.
The brothers have been charged with 10 counts of rape and sexual assault by three alleged victims in the UK.
The couple faced allegations from victims who said they were drugged and subjected to sexual acts between 2012 and 2015.
Romanian law stipulates that adult trafficking carries a lengthy prison sentence of up to a decade, as does rape.
The Tate brothers were detained by police 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 control, a milder preventive measure that allows them to move freely but not leave the country.
Romanian prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them through social media and falsely claiming they wanted a relationship or marriage, eventually pretending to fall in love with them before making them work for their company after luring them to their villa outside Bucharest.
The victims were then taken to properties outside the capital, Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gains, prosecutors said.
Tate, who has amassed 9.7 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.
This is breaking news. More news to follow.