A request to extradite social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to the UK has been granted by a court in Romania.
Bedfordshire Police said officers were working with authorities in the country as part of an investigation into the 37-year-old and his 35-year-old sibling.
The pair were detained on Tuesday and appeared at the court of appeal in Bucharest, where it was ruled they would be extradited following the conclusion of legal proceedings in Romania.
The allegations of human trafficking and forming an organised crime group, which the two brothers “unequivocally deny”, date back to 2012 and 2015.
Image: Andrew Tate handcuffed and being escorted to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania this morning. Pic: AP
The pair were released from police custody following the hearing, their representative said. They added the duo would comply fully with judiciary measures preventing them from leaving the country.
The brothers had been detained for 24 hours pending a ruling on the British arrest warrant.
The court of appeals said in a statement that it “rules to execute the arrest warrant and… to postpone handing over the requested person until the final verdict in the criminal case argued at the Bucharest court”.
In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said: “As part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, Bedfordshire Police has obtained a European arrest warrant for two men in their 30s.
“We are working with authorities in Romania as part of this investigation and will provide an update in due course.
“We understand this is a distressing subject, and people may be impacted by what they are seeing in the news.”
Image: Police officers escort Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania. Pic: AP
What have the brothers said?
Andrew, 37, and Tristan, 35, deny all allegations against them, as the older brother said both were “very innocent men”.
Speaking outside the court of appeal in Bucharest, Andrew said: “I want to give absolute credit to Romanian justice for making the correct decision today.
“We are excited to finish this judicial process and clear our names.”
Image: Andrew Tate leaving police detention said the brothers were ‘very innocent men’. Pic:AP
Their representatives said they were “fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve”.
A lawyer representing four women who accused Tate of rape and sexual assault said they alerted British police to immediately seek his detention after receiving information last week that he was planning to flee Romania.
Matthew Jury, managing partner at McCue Jury and Partners, said he welcomed Tate’s arrest “as it has been a significant concern to many that Tate would seek to avoid justice in Romania and abroad”.
He added: “We are grateful to the British authorities for taking our concerns seriously and issuing an arrest warrant.”
The lawyer also urged TV personalities Piers Morgan, Tucker Carson and others to stop giving Tate a platform “or at least encourage them to properly interrogate him on the allegations”.
“Allowing Tate to spread disinformation about the allegations of criminality he faces, not just in the UK, only helps to support and spread his toxic influence further amongst vulnerable young men and boys, something we should all be seeking to put an end to,” he said.
Read more: Who is Andrew Tate?
The law firm said the four British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The Hertfordshire investigation was closed in 2019.
A lawyer representing the brothers said they denied allegations they had intended to flee from Romania and evade judicial proceedings.
They claimed that the “rumour” had originated from an influencer online.
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Eugen Vidineac, legal counsel for the defendants, added: “We appreciate the Bucharest court of appeal’s decision to postpone the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
“This ruling provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner.”
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From January 2023: Andrew Tate’s cars confiscated from villa
The brothers are facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, where they live, and had previously been in jail and later under house arrest since they were detained in December 2022.
They were charged alongside two Romanian women who are accused of being part of the alleged organised crime group.
It is alleged all four formed the group in 2021 to commit human trafficking in Romania and other countries – including the US and UK. They all deny the allegations.
Tate won an appeal in August 2023 to be released from house arrest as he awaits trial on a date which has yet to be decided, as Romanian courts face a current backlog.
The brothers were told they were able to travel anywhere within Romania but could not leave the country.
In January, a Romanian court also overturned a decision to seize Tate’s assets, which saw him regain access to his supercars, properties and designer watches.
Tate, a former kickboxer and Big Brother contestant, has gained millions of fans on social media in recent years after styling himself as the “king of toxic masculinity”.
He has 8.9 million followers on X, but has been banned on several other platforms including TikTok for his allegedly misogynistic views.
Source : Sky News
