Andrew Tate lost his appeal to end the 30-day detention order he was put under after his arrest in connection to an ongoing criminal investigation in Romania last month, officials said.
A spokesperson for the country’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) confirmed late Tuesday that the appeals court had rejected Tate’s bid out of hand, hours after the right-wing influencer had arrived at court holding what appeared to be a copy of the Quran.
Earlier in the day, Tate, 36, arrived at court handcuffed to his brother, Tristan, who was also arrested in the probe into alleged sex trafficking and rape. Two Romanian women were also seen in handcuffs outside the courthouse.
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All four were taken into custody after Tate’s house in the Eastern European country was raided on Dec. 29 pending a criminal investigation. All four have denied all wrongdoing and have filed a challenge against the arrest warrant.
Prosecutors allege that Tate and his brother lured women into an exploitation scheme by pretending to want romantic relationships with them. The alleged victims were forced into making pornography under the threat of physical violence, authorities say, which in turn made large amounts of money.
One of the Tate brothers has also been accused of raping one of the victims in March 2022 when the investigation began, prosecutors say.
“The possibility that the suspects would evade investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial possibilities and public comments to that regard cannot be ignored,” the court judge wrote in the record approving the arrest.
Prosecutors can seek an extension to the 30-day detainments for as long as another 180 days.
A spokesperson for DIICOT told Reuters that prosecutors have seized more than 10 properties and 15 luxury vehicles belonging to the defendants in the case to stop the assets being hidden or sold.
Tate’s car collection also figured in the public Twitter spat the British-American had with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in the days before his arrest. Authorities said Tate’s social media posts had confirmed his presence in Romania, though it’s not clear if his viral exchange with Thunberg played any part in his arrest.
The former kickboxing champion made an apparent conversion to Islam late last year. Critics have accused the self-described sexist of “faith washing” in a bid to rehabilitate his reputation.
Tate has previously bragged on a podcast about using several girlfriends to make money through videochats and share the profits with him. He claimed to have 75 women working for him, generating $600,000 a month at the operation’s peak.
He has also said he moved to Romania following an investigation in the U.K. for sexual assault that was ultimately dropped. Tate added that he wanted to live in a society where “corruption is accessible to everybody.”
