Andrew Tate’s trial on charges of rape and human trafficking can start, a Romanian court rules

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A court docket in Romania’s capital on Friday dominated {that a} trial can begin within the case of influencer Andrew Tate, who’s charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a felony gang to sexually exploit ladies.

The Bucharest Tribunal dominated that prosecutors’ case file towards Tate met the authorized standards however didn’t set a date for the trial to start. Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, mentioned the ruling can be appealed.

Tate, 37, was arrested in December 2022 close to Bucharest alongside along with his brother, Tristan Tate, and two Romanian ladies. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all 4 in June final yr. They’ve denied the allegations.

Earlier than the court docket’s determination Friday, the authorized case had been mentioned for months within the preliminary chamber phases, a course of wherein the defendants can problem prosecutors’ proof and case file.

Andrew Tate, who has amassed 9.1 million followers on the social media platform X, previously Twitter, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania don’t have any proof towards him and that there’s a political conspiracy to silence him.

Tate was beforehand banned from numerous outstanding social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and for hate speech.