Andrew Tate claims ‘monumental victory’ in human trafficking trial
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A court has decided to discard certain pieces of evidence collected against Andrew Tate in a human trafficking case. The prosecutors now have five days to determine whether they will continue with the trial or drop the case altogether.
In June 2023, Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two women from Romania, faced official charges. A court in Bucharest has decided that their trial is set to begin this April. The individuals involved maintain their innocence.
Tate has contested the ruling, and on Tuesday, the appeals court delivered a blow to the prosecutors looking into organized crime, pointing out mistakes in the indictment and violations of legal rights.
The court decided to exclude various forms of evidence from the case, which involved statements from two primary alleged victims and testimonies from the Tate brothers. The court determined that these pieces of evidence were not acceptable.
The court noted that there were discrepancies in the indictment, such as incorrect descriptions of the actions taken by the female suspects, a lack of information regarding the confiscation of assets, and the prosecutors' inability to clearly clarify the charges against Tate to one of the alleged victims.
"The court's decision will be forwarded to DIICOT (the investigative agency) to address the issues in the charges and to clarify within five days whether they still plan to proceed with the trial of the suspects or will drop the case," the ruling stated.
The Tate brothers, who are ex-kickboxers holding both U.S. and British citizenship, are the most prominent individuals being tried for human trafficking in Romania.
Eugen Vidineac, the lead attorney for Tate, expressed in a statement, "This is a significant win for our clients, who have consistently asserted their innocence from the start."
"The court's ruling to dismiss important evidence and require corrections to the charges shows that there are no strong claims against them."
In a video shared on X, Tate claimed that everything in the file was false and stated, "the women were not telling the truth."
In August, authorities announced that they had initiated a new criminal inquiry into the Tates and four other individuals. They are facing charges related to the creation of an organized crime group, human trafficking, trafficking minors, engaging in sexual acts with a minor, and money laundering.
In March, a court decided that the Tate brothers have an outstanding arrest warrant in the UK and will be sent back there once their trial in Romania is completed.
