Andrew Tate could be released from Romanian jail today as he attends first bail hearing over sex trafficking charges
- Andrew Tate and brother arrested in December on human trafficking charges
- READ MORE: Tate denies having cancer and says scar on lung ‘is from old battle’
Andrew Tate could be released from a Romanian jail today as the divisive influencer is set to attend his first bail hearing this afternoon after spending nearly three months in prison on sex trafficking charges.
Tate, 36, was arrested on December 29 with his brother Tristan on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women.
Last month, he lost his appeal against a judge’s February 21 decision to extend his arrest a third time for 30 days.
But now, the Romanian court has approved bail hearings for Tate and his brother which could see them released from police custody amid the ongoing investigation into the sex trafficking charges.
Tate could be granted bail as soon as today and released under house arrest if the judge deems it ‘safe’ following this afternoon’s bail hearing. Tristan will attend his hearing tomorrow.
Andrew Tate could be released from a Romanian jail today as the divisive influencer is set to attend his first bail hearing this afternoon after spending nearly three months in prison on sex trafficking charges
Last month, Tate lost his appeal against a judge’s February 21 decision to extend his arrest a third time for 30 days
Tate, 36, was arrested on December 29 with his brother Tristan on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women
Their two female accomplices, Luana Radu, 32 – a former police officer in Bucharest – and Georgiana Naghel, 28 – a model believed to have been dating Tate for almost a year – will also attend bail hearings tomorrow and on Thursday respectively. None of the four have yet been formally charged.
A spokesperson for Andrew Tate told MailOnline: ‘Last week, the Romanian judicial system approved a bail hearing for Andrew and Tristan Tate.
This will take place, for the first time since their arrest, on Tuesday 14th March for Andrew Tate and Wednesday 15th March, for Tristan Tate.
‘Contrary to speculation, this bail hearing is not based on medical grounds neither were the previous appeals.
‘We are extremely pleased to see both brothers have the opportunity to return home and spend time with their family whilst the investigation continues.’
Last week, Tate denied that he has cancer after confirming last week that he has a ‘dark spot on his lung’.
Tate’s Twitter account said the scar on his lung ‘is from an old battle’ after the medical details were released last week.
‘I do not have cancer. My lungs contain precisely 0 smoking damage. In fact, I have an 8L lung capacity and the vital signs of an Olympic athlete,’ the update said.
‘There is nothing but a scar on my lung from an old battle. True warriors are scarred both inside and out,’ the post added in a style that has become typical of Tate’s social media messages since his detention.
Former police officer Luana Radu (left) and Georgiana Naghel (right) are suspected of assisting the Tate brothers in the crimes they are under investigation for
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate arrive at The Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, on February 27 alongside Radu and Naghel
If Tate is granted bail, and the prosecution does not appeal against the decision, he will be placed under house arrest.
But if there is an appeal, he will remain in jail until a decision is made by the judge.
Last month, the Bucharest court upheld a third 30-day detention for Tate and Tristan. It is the third separate appeal the brothers have lost against decisions to extend their detention while investigations continue.
Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organized crime agency DIICOT, said prosecutors also won an appeal against a court’s decision to place Radu and Naghel under house arrest, instead of in full detention.
A document explaining an earlier decision to keep them in jail said the judge took into account the ‘particular dangerousness of the defendants’ and their capacity to identify victims ‘with an increased vulnerability, in search of better life opportunities.’
Tate, who has lived in Romania since 2017, was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech. He has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and alleged their case is a ‘political’ conspiracy designed to silence him.
DIICOT said in a statement after the December arrests that it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to ‘acts of physical violence and mental coercion’ and sexually exploited by members of the alleged crime group.
The agency said victims were lured with pretenses of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group.
In January, Romanian authorities descended on a compound near Bucharest linked with the Tate brothers and towed away a fleet of luxury cars that included a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a Porsche. They reported seizing assets worth an estimated $3.9 million.
Prosecutors have said that if they can prove the cars’ owners gained money through illicit activities such as human trafficking, the assets would be used to cover the expenses of the investigation and to compensate victims. Tate also unsuccessfully appealed the asset seizure.
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