Andrew Tate and brother Tristan remain in prison after Bucharest court rejects appeal
The Bucharest Court of Appeal decided on Wednesday, February 1, that brothers Tristan and Andrew Tate are to remain in detention, rejecting the appeal for their release. The decision is final.
The Tate brothers were arrested on December 29, after police searched their residence and those of their two accomplices. More investigations followed, stretching to residences in Ilfov, Bucharest, and Prahova. On January 20, the Bucharest Tribunal decided to extend the preventive detention of the Tate brothers and of the other two persons under investigation in this case until February 27. The brothers contested the extension.
The Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected objections raised by the Tate brothers and maintained the Bucharest Tribunal's decision to detain them for longer. The court said that the objections raised by the suspects were unfounded.
“The 4 suspected individuals – two British citizens and two Romanian citizens – [are accused of having] constituted an organized criminal group with the aim of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic materials for paid distribution on adult websites,” according to the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police cited by News.ro.
“They [allegedly] obtained significant amounts of money from these activities. The victims would have been recruited by the British citizens through deceit regarding their intention to establish a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of real feelings of love (the loverboy method). They [the victims] would then be transported and housed in properties in Ilfov county where they would be sexually exploited by members of the group through acts of physical violence and psychological coercion (intimidation, constant surveillance, control, and invocation of alleged debts), by forcing them to perform pornographic acts in order to produce and distribute such materials through social media platforms, and by subjecting them to forced labor in order to obtain significant financial gains,” the source adds.
Six victims who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group have been identified so far. One victim was allegedly forced on two separate occasions to engage in sexual relations through the use of physical violence and psychological pressures. Authorities also identified 11 luxury vehicles, owned or used by the suspects.
The brothers’ lawyers, meanwhile, say that the unfavorable press and the recent decisions of the court lead to questions regarding the respect for human rights within the Romanian legal system.
"We perceive the media coverage of this case as being somewhat one-sided, in that there does not seem to be much objectivity. […] Are all the principles of justice being respected? We have faith that the Romanian legal system will ultimately demonstrate honesty and fairness. That is our hope, but at the moment we are seriously questioning the respect for human rights, as they have been detained for so long without being charged,” said Mateea Petrescu, “director of communications” for the brothers.
American lawyer Tina Glandian, who has represented celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson, also visited the two brothers in detention.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)
