Bucharest: The controversial influencer Andrew Tate's detention was extended by a Romanian court on Wednesday while he and his brother are being investigated for alleged involvement in rape and human trafficking.
Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, were detained in late December, and since then, Romanian judges have extended their detention every month. In accordance with Romanian law, pre-trial detention may be prolonged for a total of 180 days while an accusation is being considered.
Their detention will now last an additional 30 days, according to a Bucharest Tribunal decision that can be challenged.
According to their media team, the most recent extension rendered the brothers speechless. "The significant material losses they have incurred pale in comparison to the moral losses. Their reputation has been damaged beyond repair," it declared. The brothers continue to refute every accusation levelled against them.
Millions of people follow Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, on social media. Tate, his younger brother, and two Romanian women are also being looked into for allegedly "forming an organised criminal group, human trafficking, and rape."
Romanian police searched several properties connected to the Tate brothers during the investigation and seized many of their belongings, including a fleet of high-end vehicles.
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One woman was allegedly "recruited" from the UK after falling in love with Andrew Tate, who then brought her to Romania "with the goal of sexual exploitation," according to a court document from January.
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Tate made an appearance on the British reality television programme "Big Brother" in 2016, but he was later fired after a video surfaced of him assaulting a woman.
He later used social media platforms to spread his divisive ideas before being banned for making hateful and misogynistic remarks. After South African billionaire Elon Musk acquired the business, Tate was given permission to return to Twitter.