BUCHAREST –
The Bucharest court of appeals ruled on Thursday against sending internet personality Andrew Tate to trial on charges of human trafficking and sent the case back to prosecutors.
The ruling deals a blow to anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT, which officially indicted Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects in June 2023.
The Bucharest Court ruled in April of this year to send the case to trial, a decision Tate has appealed.
In November, the Bucharest Court of Appeals removed several pieces of evidence from the case file, including statements given by two main alleged victims and witness testimonies from the Tate brothers, both of which it deemed inadmissible.
The court also cited flaws in the indictment and legal rights violations. On Thursday, it decided to send the case back to DIICOT.
“They’ve had years to build their case — years to tear apart my life, target everyone I know, and even subpoena the mother of my child,” Tate said in a statement.
“And yet, they have nothing.”
DIICOT prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.
The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual U.S. and British citizenship, are the highest profile suspects facing trial for human trafficking in Romania.
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, a court ruled in March.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
