A Romanian court ruled on Tuesday for the removal of some evidence collected against internet personality Andrew Tate in a human trafficking case.
It gave prosecutors five days to decide if they will pursue the trial or withdraw the case.
Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects were officially indicted in June 2023 with Bucharest court ruled the trial can start in April 2025. The suspects deny any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday the appeals court dealt a setback to the anti-organized crime prosecutors’ (DIICOT) investigation, citing flaws in the indictment and legal rights violations.
The court ruled for the removal of several pieces of evidence from the case, including statements given by two main alleged victims and witness testimonies from the Tate brothers, both of which it ruled inadmissible.
The court also said it found inconsistencies in the indictment file, including improper descriptions of the acts committed by the female suspects, details missing about the seizure of assets as well as prosecutors’ failure to properly explain the charges against Tate to one of the alleged victims.
“The current ruling will be sent to DIICOT to fix the irregularities in the indictment and to specify within five days if they maintain the intent to send the suspects to trial or whether they withdraw the case,” the court ruling said.
The Tate brothers, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, are the highest profile suspects facing trial for human trafficking in Romania.
“This is a monumental victory for our clients, who have maintained their innocence from the beginning,” Tate’s attorney Eugen Vidineac said in a statement.
“The court’s decision to exclude key evidence and demand rectification of the indictment demonstrates the lack of substantiated claims against them.”
DIICOT did not immediately comment.
In a video posted on X, Tate said every the file was full of lies and “the women lied”.
In August, prosecutors said they had started a second criminal investigation against the Tates and four other suspects on accusations of forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking, trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering.
The Tate brothers also have a British arrest warrant and will be extradited after Romanian trial proceedings finish.
Andrew Tate put under house arrest in Romania in new trafficking probe
