A Romanian court has upheld the appeal of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, refusing for now to try him on human trafficking charges and returning the case to the prosecution.
The US-born Briton and his brother Tristan are accused of setting up an organised crime network in Romania and the UK in early 2021. Both say they are innocent, AFP reported.
Prosecutors claim 38-year-old Tate, his 36-year-old brother and two women set up a criminal organisation and sexually exploited several victims.
The court's decision came after a Romanian court found "irregularities" in the indictment against Tate in mid-November, ordering prosecutors to fix them.
On December 19, the Bucharest Court of Appeals decided to "return to the prosecutor's office ... the case on which the indictment was issued, sending the participants to trial," the statement said.
"They threw me in jail, took my money, my cars and every ounce of my freedom. They turned me into the street's worst enemy, dragging my name through the dirt with accusations of the vilest, most heinous acts a man can be accused of. It's all a lie," said Andrew Tate.
He vowed to "fight to the end to ... prove my innocence."
His brother, Tristan, said "the decision to dismiss the prosecution's case highlights fundamental flaws in the evidence presented."
Tate's lawyer Eugen Vidiniak hailed the court's decision as a "significant legal victory". | BGNES
