Romanian court detains Andrew Tate for 30 more days

Tate brothers held while two Romanian women are under house arrest

British-US influencer Andrew Tate is escorted by police to a courthouse in Bucharest on February 1. AFP

A court in Romania extended by another 30 days social media influencer Andrew Tate's detention on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking, an official said.

Tate, 36, who is a a British-US citizen known for misogynistic views, was arrested on December 29 when authorities raided his property north of Bucharest.

His brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women are also in custody in the same case. None of the four has been formally charged.

Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Diicot, said the Bucharest Tribunal approved prosecutors' request to hold the Tates for another 30 days, while the two women will be put under house arrest.

It was the third 30-day extension granted since the Tates were arrested.

The brothers also lost an appeal on February 1 of a judge’s January 20 decision to keep them behind bars while investigations continued.

A decision document said the judge took into account the “particular dangerousness of the defendants” and their capacity to identify victims “with an increased vulnerability, in search of better life opportunities".

Andrew Tate detained in Romania — in pictures

Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers representing the Tate brothers, said before Tuesday’s ruling that the defence team would challenge another extension, if one were issued.

Mr Vidineac said the defence had “effectively paralysed the evidence" in the case so far and that there was not enough to keep the Tates in custody.

Andrew Tate, who has reportedly lived in Romania since 2017, was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.

He has repeatedly claimed that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence and that their case is a “political” attack designed to silence him.

A post on Andrew Tate’s Twitter account before Tuesday's decision expressed confidence in his lawyers and his eventual release.

A later tweet said: “I can easily think myself into euphoric gratefulness for things as simple as having air to breathe.

"I can easily think myself into the deepest and darkest depression. I’ve seen hell. I’ve lived hell. I can produce either state.”

Andrew Tate arrested in Romania over human trafficking case - video

Romania's anti-organised crime agency said after the December arrests that it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion”.

It said they were sexually exploited by members of a crime group.

The agency said victims were lured with pretenses of love and later intimidated, placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group.

In January, Romanian authorities raided a compound linked to the Tate brothers near Bucharest and towed away luxury cars that included a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a Porsche.

They reported seizing assets worth an estimated $3.9 million.

Prosecutors have said that if they can prove the cars’ owners gained money through illicit activities such as human trafficking, the assets would be used to cover the expenses of the investigation and compensate victims.

Andrew Tate also unsuccessfully appealed the asset seizure.