(Reuters) – Andrew Tate and his brother will have fewer restrictions on movement as they await trial on human trafficking charges after a Romanian judge ruled they could travel around the country, the divisive influencer’s representatives said on Thursday.
Tate was indicted in June along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects for human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, allegations they have denied.
In August, the Tates were released from house arrest, but were required to stay in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
“This adjustment in judicial control signifies a notable development in the ongoing legal proceedings, reflecting the Tate brothers’ and their legal team’s commitment to clearing their name,” Tate’s representatives said in a statement.
A judge had previously loosened restrictions on Tate’s movement in September, but this decision was overturned on appeal.
The court has yet to rule on a separate request from the brothers that assets such as cars and jewellery that were confiscated from them be returned, a spokesperson said.
Prosecutors say the Tate brothers, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, lured seven women into making pornography by pretending to be in a relationship with them.
Lawyers for witnesses and alleged victims of Tate say they are being harassed and intimidated in an effort to silence them. Tate’s representatives deny this.
Andrew Tate has become popular among many young men by projecting an ultra-macho image centred around fast cars, beautiful women and money.
While Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist, says his online content aims to help young men better themselves, critics say he denigrates women and encourages his audience to hold sexist views.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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