Andrew Tate and brother to be moved to house arrest

A Romanian court on Friday has ordered social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to be released from jail and placed under house arrest pending a criminal probe into alleged sex trafficking. 

The duo, who were held in pre-trial detention since late December, had appealed their detention.

According to the court ruling, the Romanian appeals court "rejected the prosecution's proposal to extend the pre-trial detention" again on Friday.

Their detention had already been extended multiple times. 

The house arrest is for a period of 30 days, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romania's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT

Tate, a former professional kickboxer who has been living in Romania since 2017, is a British-American online influencer and self-described misogynist. He built a massive following online, mostly among young men.

What is the case? 

Tate, his younger brother and two Romanian women have been under investigation in Romania for allegedly "forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape." The group denied the accusations.

Prosecutors say the duo had seduced their victims by promising them relationships or marriage, then coerced them into "pornographic acts" that they would publish online for their own financial benefit. 

DIICOT has said it identified six victims who were allegedly subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion" and sexually exploited.

As part of the investigation, Romanian authorities towed away a fleet of luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a Porsche, from a residence linked to Tate and reportedly seized assets worth around $3.9 million (€3.6 million).

Prosecutors are seeking to prove that Tate's money was acquired through illicit activities to use it to cover the probe's expenses and compensate the victims. 

fb/msh (AFP, Reuters)