It’s a judicial soap opera that sounds like a mill-feuille. Andrew Tate, one of the world’s most popular influencers criticized for his sexist, violent and conspiratorial rhetoric, is making headlines in the European press again after being placed under house arrest in Romania after being taken into police custody. Thursday, August 22. Banned from several social networks, including TikTok and Instagram, the 37-year-old former British kickboxer-turned-financial coach is on trial in the United Kingdom and Romania, where he has lived since 2017. Franceinfo retracts various investigations and suspicions of serious facts “misogynist” And “Pimp” considered.

Reports of sexual violence in the United Kingdom in 2015

Andrew Tate was 29 when he took part in the reality TV show “Big Brother” in the United Kingdom in 2016 (which is based on the same concept as “Loft Story” and “Secret Story” in France). , has gained a certain media reputation. Already an international kickboxing champion, he made headlines when he was kicked out of the show after six days of production. the sun A video shows him beating a young woman with a belt. Andrew Tate later argued that it was a “Filmed Character”. No complaint was registered.

A year ago, in 2015, the man ran into trouble with the law, still in the United Kingdom, after allegations of rape and violence from several women. In July 2015, Andrew Tate was detained by police for questioning before being released. In 2019, the British judiciary dropped the charge due to insufficient evidence Guardian. The affair caused even more shockwaves, especially in early 2023, after the media revealed it vice news, Messages sent by Andrew Tate to one of the complainants in which he utters the phrase “I want to rape you”.

An investigation into rape and human trafficking is coming up in Romania

In social networks, Andrew Tate became a figure of unrestrained masculinity in the late 2010s, appearing in his videos with sports cars and naked women. A glamorous showcase of one of his many businesses: the sale of online coaching that promises to make men lucky and women more successful. According to A documentary From the BBC published in September 2023, A “Category Division” Built around the influencer, including her brother Tristan, 36, who accompanied her to Romania in 2017.

It was precisely in this country that serious problems began for the Sulphurous Twins. By the end of 2022, both brothers were arrested and detained for three months in Bucharest, banned from leaving the territory under judicial supervision in January 2023. The case against them is particularly harsh: they are accused of manipulating young women to force them to act in pornographic films. Andrew Tate is also accused of two counts of rape, which he formally denies. In social network “policy”.

Last June, a Romanian judge ordered a formal trial against the Tate brothers and two Romanian women, accusing them of running an organized crime network that exploited women in this country, the United Kingdom and the United States. The New York Times. At least seven young women allege they were lured by the promise of a romantic relationship, then placed in an apartment and forced to appear in pornographic videos posted online.

The already-burning issue could be exacerbated after Wednesday’s search of the Ted brothers’ home Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (Diicot), during which 60,000 euros in various currencies, computer equipment and 16 luxury cars were seized. A ReportDiicot reveals that Romanian justice now estimates the number of victims of this sex trafficking at 34, including a 17-year-old minor. Police details that numerous videos filmed with this young woman would have earned the defendants more than a million euros. Without naming him, Dicot accuses one of them “Foreign Defendants” Had sex with a 15-year-old minor on multiple occasions during the winter of 2020.

At the same time, a new procedure was opened by the British courts

The investigation, including charges and the number of defendants, is pending – Like victims – As it turns out, British justice has issued two European arrest warrants against Andrew and Tristan Tate. After being rejected in 2019, the three British plaintiffs finally appealed to the United Kingdom’s High Court. Guardian May, for civil proceedings “Last Chance”According to their lawyers. As reported BBCThese demands led to the arrest of the two brothers by Romanian police on March 12, in order to inform them of the existence of warrants.

In the process, a court in Bucharest accepted a request to extradite the Tate brothers to the United Kingdom, but only pending the conclusion of the trial against them in Romania. Investigations in the country continue after Wednesday’s search of three other locations in the Bucharest region DIOCTRegarding doubts “In Child abduction, human trafficking, sex with a minor, witness bribery and money laundering”.

After 24 hours in police custody as part of this new investigation, Andrew Tate was placed under house arrest for 30 days on Thursday evening. The Bucharest public prosecutor’s office placed his brother Tristan under judicial supervision for two months. Soon after the release, the duo aired a live video “slander lie” In which they claim to be victims. When they promote a new cryptocurrency they are about to launch. For his part, their spokesperson announced that the Tate brothers “Crazy[ai]”Strongly condemns all the allegations leveled against them, stressing that the allegations are baseless and unsupported by substantial evidence.”.