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Judge grants extension to Tate arrest
AJUDGE in Romania has granted prosecutors another request to extend the arrest of Andrew Tate by 30 days. The social media personality has been detained in the country for weeks as prosecutors investigate a case of human trafficking case and rape.
Tate, 36, a British- US citizen was initially arrested in Bucharest on December 29 on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and being part of an organised crime gang.
His brother Tristan and two Romanian women have been detained in the same case.
The arrest came as a result of Tate engaging in a back and forth Twitter argument with prominent climate- activist Greta Thunberg. During which, Tate’s location in Romania was confirmed via a pizza box, that displayed a local pizza restaurant, in his response video.
Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson from Romania’s anti- organised crime agency Diicot, said prosecutors requested a second 30- day extension to keep all four in detention on Thursday.
That request was granted yesterday, Bolla said.
The judge’s decision came after all four lost an appeal last week at a Bucharest court, which ruled to uphold a judge’s December 30 move to uphold an earlier decision to extend their arrest from 24 hours to 30 days. The Tates are likely to appeal the latest extension.
Ioan Gliga, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, said he considers yester ruling Friday “totally unjustified”.
“Only an hour ago, the session was closed and the file has 20 volumes,” he said.
“I find it very hard to believe that someone has the physical capacity to study the file in such a short time, as only yesterday it reached the tribunal,” Gliga added.
After the Tates and the women were arrested in December, Diicot said that it had identified six victims who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and sexually exploited by the members of the alleged gang.