Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his younger brother Tristan Tate have left Romania, where they face rape and human trafficking charges, and are on their way to the U.S., an official said Thursday.
The two men, who hold dual U.K. and U.S. citizenship, were arrested in December 2022 in a suburb of the Romanian capital, Bucharest. They were formally indicted last year, accused of being part of a criminal organization that exploited women after luring them to Romania.
Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer and a self-proclaimed misogynist, was also charged with rape.
Both the 38-year-old influencer and his 36-year-old brother deny any wrongdoing.
In December, a Bucharest court decided not to start a criminal trial against the two brothers, citing flaws in the indictment.
The two right-wing internet personalities, who are still under investigation, were banned from leaving the country — an order that has now been lifted.
“The request to change the obligation of not leaving Romania was approved,” prosecutors said, according to Reuters. The brothers will still need to “check in with judicial authorities” when required.
A spokesperson for the country’s law enforcement agency that focuses on organized crime and terrorism (DIICOT) on Thursday confirmed that prosecutors had approved a request to change their travel restrictions, but didn’t say who had made the request.
The Network for Preventing and Combating Violence against Women released a statement Thursday condemning the lifting of the ban and requesting DIICOT to make public its reasons for allowing the Tate brothers to leave Romania “so that any doubt regarding the independence and impartiality of the Romanian judicial system is removed.”
The brothers departed Romania aboard a private jet bound for Florida, the Financial Times reported citing people familiar with the case.
With News Wire Services
