Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are in custody on sexual assault charges. (document)
Bucharest:
A Romanian court has granted Britain’s request to extradite internet celebrity Andrew Tait, but postponed it until Romanian trial proceedings are completed.
The court said Tuesday it also ruled that Tate and his brother Tristan should be immediately released from police custody. The Taits have been detained for 24 hours pending the determination of a British arrest warrant.
The Court of Appeal said in a statement that it “decided to execute the arrest warrant and… postpone the transfer of the requested person until the final judgment of the Bucharest court in the criminal case”.
Tate and his brother Tristan were taken into custody on Monday night over alleged sexual assault allegations dating from 2012 to 2015, but his PR team said they “categorically” deny the allegation. The warrant was issued by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.
Tate said after being released by police: “We are innocent people, we are very innocent people, and as time goes by, everyone will see that, and we are very happy to be able to complete this judicial process and clear our crime.”
“It’s funny because I’ve been asking the Romanian court to go to the UK in person. I’ve asked five times and been refused, so now I can go home. That’s great news,” he said.
British police told Reuters the Taits were conducting an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, adding that they were cooperating with Romanian authorities.
“We appreciate the decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal to postpone the extradition of Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate,” Eugene Vidinak, legal counsel for the defendants, said in a statement.
“This ruling provides the opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence, and for the legal process to be conducted in a transparent manner.”
Tate, who won millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle, was indicted in Romania in June along with his brother and two Romanian women on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal ring to sexually assault women. Exploitation. They deny the accusations.
The case has been heard by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Bucharest Court and a decision needs to be made on whether to start a trial. No decision has yet been made due to a backlog of cases in Romanian courts.
The Tait brothers were detained by police from late December to April 2022, pending a criminal investigation to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence. They were placed under house arrest until August.
They have since been placed under judicial control, a lighter precautionary measure that means they regularly report to police but are free to move around except to leave the country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
