Andrew Tate appears in Romanian court to appeal monthlong detention
Cami Mondeaux
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Social media influencer Andrew Tate appeared in Romanian court Tuesday morning to appeal his current monthlong detention after being arrested on charges of human trafficking and rape last month.
Tate arrived at the court in handcuffs to appeal a judge’s earlier decision that the social media star’s arrest period be extended from 24 hours to 30 days to allow officials to complete investigations without interference.
Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women, were arrested in an area north of Bucharest on Dec. 29. The group was initially meant to be held in custody for 24 hours, but a judge issued a decision on Dec. 30 that they be held for 30 days so that they could not “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition.”
All four of them immediately challenged that decision, with Tuesday marking the first time Tate appeared in court to appeal the ruling. A verdict is expected to be announced later in the day.
Tate was arrested by Romanian police on sex trafficking charges after police were apparently tipped off to his location by a pizza box during a social media altercation with climate activist Greta Thunberg. In a video aimed toward Thunberg, Tate was handed two pizza boxes from off-screen that he pledged not to recycle.
The pizza boxes were identified as being from Jerry’s Pizza, a Romanian pizza chain, which tipped authorities off to Tate’s location.
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As part of their investigation, prosecutors have seized a total of 15 luxury cars, seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers, and more than 10 properties owned by companies registered to the pair, according to NBC News.
If the court rules to uphold Tate’s arrest on Tuesday, prosecutors could request another extension for a maximum of 180 days to continue their investigation. If the extension is overturned, Tate and the other defendants may be placed under house arrest or similar conditions to block them from leaving the country.