West News Wire: According to authorities, Andrew Tate, a social media figure well-known for his online expression of misogynistic ideas, has been accused in Romania of rape, human trafficking, and organizing a gang to abuse women.
According to Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, prosecutors also brought charges against Tate’s brother Tristan and two Romanian women in a court in Bucharest, the country’s capital.
The Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism claimed in a statement that the four defendants established a criminal organisation in 2021 “in order to commit the crime of human trafficking” in Romania as well as the US and UK.
The agency claimed that seven female victims were deceived into travelling to Romania, where the group physically assaulted and sexually exploited them. One defendant is accused of raping a woman twice in March 2022, according to the statement.
Tate, 36, has resided in Romania since 2017. The former professional kickboxer has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged the case is a political conspiracy designed to silence him.
Mateea Petrescu, a representative for Tate, stated on Tuesday that the brothers were ready to “demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation.” The two males are anticipated to show up at a court on Wednesday morning in Bucharest, she added.
According to Petrescu, “Tate’s legal team is ready to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misunderstandings or false accusations.”
Before sending defendants to trial, a judge in Romania has up to 60 days to review the case’s papers.
The two suspects from Romania as well as the Tate brothers, who hold dual U.S. and British citizenship, were apprehended in Bucharest in late December. On March 31, the brothers’ plea to be placed under home arrest instead of police custody was successful.
At the time, Tate was a hugely successful social media figure with more than 6 million Twitter followers, many of them young men and schoolchildren. He previously was banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook for hate speech and his misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for getting sexually assaulted.
Several women in Britain also are pursuing civil claims to obtain damages from Tate, alleging they were victims of sexual violence. In a recent interview with the BBC, Tate denied spreading a culture of misogyny and accusations that he manipulated women for financial gain.
