Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been released from prison in Romania, and placed under house arrest for 30 days, Sky News reported citing court documents.
Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, are being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and exploitation, as per the Sky News report.
An appeals court in Bucharest's order said it "rejects the proposal to extend the duration of the preventive arrest measure regarding the defendants Tate III Emory Andrew, Tate Tristan, Naghel Georgiana Manuela and Radu Alexandra Luana."
The court order further said, "[The court] replaces the measure of preventive detention ordered against the defendants.. with the preventive measure of house arrest, for a period of 30 days." The order further said that it "orders immediate release of the defendants," according to a Sky News report.
Andrew Tate and his brother were taken into custody on December 29 last year. Neither of the two brothers has been formally charged in the case. They had requested for release from custody. However, their requests were rejected four times since December.
They are not a flight risk and do not pose a danger to public safety: Andrew Tate's communications director
Speaking to Sky News, Andrew Tate's communications director Mateea Petrescu said they are not a flight risk and do not pose a danger to public safety. Petrescu said, "They are not a flight risk and they are not a danger to public safety, therefore [the authorities] have decided to release them under house arrest." Mateea Petrescu called it a "small step" and said that they continue to remain under investigation. The two brothers are also being detained on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking. Two Romanian women who were detained along with Andrew Tate and his brother have also not been formally charged, as per the news report.
Following the arrests, Romania's anti-organised crime agency DIICOT in a statement said that it had identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion" and sexually exploited by members of the alleged crime group, as per the Sky News report.
According to the agency, the victims were lured with pretences of love and later intimidated and placed under surveillance. The agency said that the victims were subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into getting involved in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the crime group. Romanian authorities have said that they had seized money and goods worth around PS3.25m from the influencer's villa.
