Andrew Tate loses appeal against house arrest in Romania as human trafficking case continues

abcnews.go.com:

Andrew Tate has lost an appeal against a court’s earlier decision to keep him under house arrest

BUCHAREST, Romania — Andrew Tate, the divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, lost an appeal on Thursday against a court's earlier decision to keep him under house arrest, his spokesperson said.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled against Tate’s appeal, which challenged a court’s June 23 decision to extend the house arrest measure for 30 more days as the criminal case continues.

That decision was made days after Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, formally indicted the 36-year-old social media star along with his brother Tristan, and two Romanian women in the same case. All four were initially arrested near Romania’s capital in late December, and have denied the allegations against them.

Before the appeal court’s final ruling on Thursday, two judges had disagreed on whether or not to uphold the house arrest measure, so a third judge was brought in to preside over the ruling.

The Tate brothers' spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said the judges' initial decision wasn't unanimous and that offered hope even though they lost the appeal, because for the first time since their arrest, «a judge has ruled that the brothers should be allowed to move freely in Romania, without restrictions.»

“We consider this to be a great step toward the rightful exoneration of Andrew and Tristan," she said, adding that although the brothers «have suffered important damages to their reputation, they remain optimistic and continue to put their faith in the Romanian justice system.”

In June, DIICOT had