The brothers, who are accused of a series of alleged crimes including human trafficking and rape, are travelling to America soon after the Trump administration spoke to the Romanian authorities about their case.
The controversial social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have left Romania bound for the US, sources have told Euronews Romania.
The brothers have been under investigation for more than two years by the Romanian authorities for alleged crimes, including rape, human trafficking and money laundering. They deny all the charges.
The dual UK-US citizens left the country by plane early on Thursday morning, according to the Special Prosecutor’s Service (DIICOT).
The Tates had previously been banned from leaving the country while investigations were ongoing. However, those restrictions were lifted recently.
Their lawyer confirmed to Euronews that they were heading to the US for a visit, as they are now legally allowed to exit Romania.
The pair still have to report to Romanian police once a month.
In another development on Thursday, the Bucharest Tribunal decided to return properties, cars, bank accounts and company shares to the brothers.
The items, which include a Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse and a Ferrari 488 GTB, had been confiscated as a precautionary measure.
The tribunal’s decision comes after several years of legal woes for the brothers.
Andrew, 38, a self-described misogynist, and his brother Tristan, 36, were arrested in Romania in 2022.
The following year, the brothers were formally charged with human trafficking and forming an organised crime group.
Romanian prosecutors are also investigating the brothers, who have millions of followers on social media, over a separate case.
The influencers were released from house arrest in Romania in January, but were told that they could not leave the country.
They are also wanted in the UK, where the police accuse them of human trafficking and rape between 2012 and 2015. The brothers deny the charges.
The Tates, who both supported Donald Trump’s presidential bid last year, are heading to the US soon after the new administration in Washington spoke to the Romanian authorities about them.
The Romanian government has denied that the US has pressured it to act. Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell raised the subject of the brothers with the Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu during a conversation at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month.
Matthew Jury, a lawyer who represents British women who have accused Andrew Tate or rape and sexual assault, said he was appalled that the Tates were allowed to leave Romania. He called the development “equal parts disgusting and dismaying”.
The lawyer urged the UK to act differently from Romania.
“The UK authorities must take immediate steps to secure their extradition to the UK to face charges for the offences of human trafficking and rape they are alleged to have committed in this jurisdiction,” he said.
