Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate will regain access to his supercars, properties and designer watches after a court overturned a decision to seize his assets.
Tate and his brother Tristan are facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, where they live, and had previously been in jail and later under house arrest since they were detained in December 2022.
In January 2023, prosecutors said they had seized 15 luxury vehicles and more than 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects to prevent the assets from being sold or hidden.
Fourteen designers watches, two ingots – blocks of usually precious metal – and cash, were also confiscated, with authorities saying at the time the seized property was worth €3.6m (£3.12m).
It was reported the money could be used for compensation for his victims and to pay for the investigation if the allegations against him are proven.
Tate, a social media influencer known for his misogynistic videos, told reporters afterwards: “They took a lot of stuff… 15 cars, and they took a lot of things of a lot of value.
“It’d be nice to get my things back.”
Tate will now have access to his assets after the Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned the decision which allowed them to be confiscated.
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Eugen Vidineac, lead counsel for Tate, said after the appeal court’s ruling: “We salute the decision today and applaud the judge for what we consider to be a legally correct and justified ruling. We will continue to explore all legal avenues to redeem the reputation of my clients.”
It comes after Tate won an appeal in August 2023 to be released from house arrest as he awaits trial on a date which is yet to be decided.
Tate and his brother are now able to travel anywhere within Romania but cannot go abroad.
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In December, the kickboxer-turned-social media influencer, a British-American who was raised in Luton, Bedfordshire, had a bid to leave Romania to travel back to the UK and visit his ill mother rejected.
Alongside rape and human trafficking charges, Tate and his brother are also accused of tricking seven women into sexual exploitation on promises of a relationship or marriage – a technique labelled the “lover boy method”.
Tate has repeatedly claimed prosecutors have no evidence and that the case is a political conspiracy designed to silence him.
Tate quickly achieved fame and notoriety in the last few years due to clips of him speaking appearing on TikTok and other platforms.
He’s now been banned by most mainstream social media services – apart from X, where he has more than 8 million followers.
