Romanian Court Denies Andrew Tate’s Request for Return of Confiscated Assets

In Romania, a Bucharest court has recently denied returning assets to online influencer, Andrew Tate, that were confiscated in relation to his pending criminal case. Tate has been charged with human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The assets are to remain in the custody of Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT. Despite previously winning an appeal against the seizures in January, triggering a retrial, Tate’s spokesperson confirmed the latest decision will also be appealed.

Tate, who is a former professional kickboxer, and his brother Tristan were both arrested in December 2022, along with two Romanian women. The group was formally indicted by Romanian prosecutors in June of the following year. However, all parties have since denied the allegations. Upon their arrest, Romanian authorities confiscated an array of assets, including 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches, and money in various currencies.

The total value of the confiscated goods was estimated at around 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million). Included within the assets were major brands such as Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz. Alongside these physical assets, DIICOT further indicated that it had identified over 10 properties and pieces of land registered to companies owned by the brothers. These properties and lands could be utilized to fund investigations and compensate victims if authorities prove they were purchased through illegal activities.

Despite the legal proceedings, Andrew Tate maintains his innocence by claiming that the prosecutors have no solid evidence against him and theorizes a potential political conspiracy aimed towards silencing him. Having amassed a following of 9 million users on the social media platform X, Tate has been banned from numerous prominent social media platforms in the past for communicating misogynistic views and hate speech.

This decision by the Bucharest court comes after the Tate brothers attended an appeal regarding a separate case where British authorities had issued arrest warrants for allegations of sexual aggression dating back to 2012-2015. The court approved the UK authorities’ request to extradite the Tates, but only once all Romanian legal proceedings have concluded. As it stands, the Romanian case remains in its preliminary chamber stages, allowing the defendants to challenge the presented evidence. The Bucharest Tribunal has extended the Tate brothers’ geographical restrictions for an additional 60 days, preventing them from leaving the country, pending their trial.