The Tate brothers, who have denied all allegations, are expected to appeal the decision. (file)
Bucharest, Romania:
A Romanian court on Tuesday extended the custody of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who is being investigated along with his brother for alleged human trafficking and rape.
Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, were arrested in late December. His current detention order was due to expire next week.
But the court ordered them to be detained for a further 30 days, Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for Romania’s Anti-Organised Crime and Terrorism Directorate (DIICOT), told AFP.
The Tate brothers, who have denied all allegations, are expected to appeal the decision.
Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, is under investigation for allegedly “forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape” along with his younger brother and two Romanian women.
He allegedly coerced the women into “forced labor … and obscene acts” for “substantial financial gain”.
As part of the investigation, Romanian police raided several properties linked to the Tate brothers and seized many of their assets, including a collection of luxury cars.
In 2016, Tate appeared on the “Big Brother” reality television show in Britain, but was removed after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a woman.
He then turned to the social media platform to promote his divisive views before being banned for misogynistic comments and hate speech.
Tate was allowed back on Twitter after South African billionaire Elon Musk bought the company, and his handle “cobrett” currently has more than five million followers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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