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Tate was indicted on Tuesday along with his brother Tristan and
two Romanian female suspects for human trafficking, rape and
forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
They are under house arrest pending an investigation into abuses
against seven women whom prosecutors say were lured through
false claims of relationships, accusations the suspects have
denied.
The four suspects were held in police custody from Dec. 29 until
March 31 before a Bucharest court put them under house arrest,
which prosecutors on Tuesday sought to extend.
The Tate brothers are citizens of the United States and Britain.
Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist, built up a following
of millions on social media, promoting his own lavish lifestyle
in posts which critics say denigrate women.
The court needs to approve preventative restrictive measures
such as house arrest every 30 days. It held a hearing on
Wednesday and said it would rule on Friday.
"We're not the first affluent wealthy men who have been unfairly
attacked," Tate told reporters on Wednesday after the hearing.
"I love this country, I’m going to stay here regardless no
matter what and I look forward to being found innocent at the
end of everything."
The trial will not start immediately. Under Romanian law, the
case gets sent to the Bucharest court's preliminary chamber,
where a judge has 60 days to inspect the case files to ensure
legality.
Trafficking of adults carries a prison sentence of up to 10
years, as does rape.
Prosecutors also said they were investigating the four suspects
in a separate ongoing case on allegations of money laundering,
witness tampering, and child and adult trafficking.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie and Octav Ganea; Editing by Alan
Charlish and Peter Graff)
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