Andrew Tate placed on house arrest by Bucharest judges
Andrew and Tristan Tate were granted their appeals against the pre-trial detention and placed on house arrest after three months in jail.
The Bucharest Court of Appeal granted the brothers’ appeals against the 30-day pre-trial detention carried out at the Central Arrest of the Capital Police. The two spent the last three months in detention on charges of human trafficking after being apprehended in December.
"I just want to say that the judges made the right decision today, I respect what they did for me, and their decision will be justified because I am an innocent man and I can't wait to prove it," said Tristan Tate. "We are going home,” he added, in Romanian, cited by Digi24.
"We have been waiting and praying for this decision, and we find it to be a legal, thorough, and fair one. For now, they are prohibited from contacting the other parties in the case, the witnesses in the case, and from leaving their homes without the permission of the judicial authorities. We do not have the reasoning behind the decision, which is why we do not know if there are any other restrictions," said the brothers’ lawyer.
"While we were in prison, I focused on doing push-ups and reading the Quran,” Andrew Tate also said.
After returning home, Andrew posted a video of himself pacing in a room while smoking a cigar, saying: "Since last year I've been in 24-hour lockdown. No yard time. Pacing a 3-meter cell with zero electronics or outside contact. Absolute clarity of mind. Real thoughts. Real plans. Vivid pain. One hour home and I can't stand my phone. Some habits die hard. We must defeat Shaytan.”
The two men, accused of being part of an organized criminal group, human trafficking, and rape, were met by a few fans as they left the Bucharest Police arrest. Their two accomplices will also be under house arrest for 30 days. During this time, the brothers have the obligation to stay within the bounds of their property. If proven guilty, they face up to 12 years in jail.
Leaked court documents cited by BBC show that the brothers allegedly forced women to earn roughly EUR 10,000 a month on social media platforms under the threat of physical violence. Court papers also described debts being used as "a form of psychological coercion." Since investigations began last April, six women have been identified as victims by prosecutors.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Ilona Andrei)
