A case against controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate over allegations including human trafficking cannot be tried in its current form, a Romanian court has ruled.
On Thursday, the Bucharest Court of Appeal upheld the brothers' challenge, sending the case back to prosecutors for further review.
This is the second time the court has sent the case back to prosecutors, who now have five days to amend the indictment or drop the charges.
The Tate brothers, aged 37 and 36, are accused of human trafficking and forming an organized group to sexually exploit women. They strongly denied the accusations.
In November, the same court found “irregularities” in the indictment against them, forcing prosecutors to amend their brief.
At the time, the court also withdrew several pieces of evidence, ruling certain statements from alleged victims inadmissible.
The success of the brothers' appeal Thursday marks a new setback for prosecutors.
The dual British and American nationals are accused of exploiting women through an adult content business, which prosecutors say operated as a criminal enterprise.
Two Romanian associates were also named in the indictment published in June last year, which identified seven alleged victims.
Andrew Tate is a self-described misogynist and was previously banned from social media platforms for expressing such views.
The former kickboxer gained millions of followers on social media for his politics, where in his videos he also often presented a flashy lifestyle.
He has lived in Romania for several years after being based in the United Kingdom.
Following the ruling in his favor on Thursday, he released a statement saying: “They have had years to build their case – years to destroy my life, target everyone I know and even subpoena the mother of my child . And yet, they have nothing.”
He added: “This is all a lie, and I will fight to the end to expose it and prove my innocence.”
His brother Tristan said: “If there isn't enough evidence to go to trial after all these years, that means there was never enough evidence. »
The Romanian prosecutor's office, known as DIICOT, has not yet commented on the decision.
In August, she announced that she had opened a second criminal investigation against the Tate brothers for new allegations of trafficking of minors, sex with a minor and money laundering.
British police are also seeking the extradition of the Tate brothers over allegations of rape and human trafficking. They were also accused of tax fraud.
The Tate brothers have denied the allegations.
#Court #sends #human #trafficking #case #Romania #prosecutors