BUCHAREST: A court in Romania’s capital on Friday denied a request by online influencer Andrew Tate to return assets that were seized during investigations into the case in which he is charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
The Bucharest Tribunal ruled that all assets seized will remain in possession of Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, Tate’s spokesperson said, adding that the decision will be appealed. Tate, 37, won an appeal in January challenging the asset seizures, which triggered a retrial.
The former professional kickboxer was arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother Tristan Tate and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year. They have denied the allegations.
After the Tates were detained, Romanian authorities seized 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches and cash in several currencies. The fleet of automobiles included a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari, a Porsche, a BMW, an Aston Martin and a Mercedes-Benz. The total value of the goods, authorities said at the time, was estimated at 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million).
DIICOT also said it had identified more than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to the Tate brothers, and that their assets could be used to fund investigations and compensate victims if the authorities could prove they were gained through illicit activities.
Andrew Tate, who has amassed 9 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and for hate speech.
The decision on Friday came a week after the Tate brothers appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case. British authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a UK case dating back to 2012-2015, according to the brothers’ spokesperson.
The court granted the British authorities their request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings against them have been concluded in Romania.
The Romanian case is still being discussed in the preliminary chamber stages, when defendants can challenge prosecutors’ evidence. No trial date has been set.
Last week, the Bucharest Tribunal, the court of first instance, extended by 60 days geographical restrictions against the Tates, which stipulate they may not leave the country.
A Romanian court rejects Andrew Tate’s bid to get his confiscated assets returned
https://arab.news/b4q5w
A Romanian court rejects Andrew Tate’s bid to get his confiscated assets returned
- The Bucharest Tribunal ruled that all assets seized will remain in possession of Romania’s anti-organized crime agency
- After the Tates were detained, Romanian authorities seized 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches and cash in several currencies
Palestine Action hunger strikers launch legal action against UK govt
- They accuse authorities of abandoning prison safety policies
- Several of the imprisoned activists have been hospitalized
LONDON: Hunger strikers from Palestine Action in the UK have launched legal action against the government, accusing it of abandoning the policy framework for prison safety, The Independent reported.
A pre-action letter was sent to Justice Secretary David Lammy by a legal firm representing the activists.
It came as several imprisoned members of the banned organization — including one who has refused food for 51 days — were hospitalized due to their deteriorating health while on hunger strike.
They say they have sent several letters to Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, but have received no response.
He was urged in the latest letter to respond within 24 hours as the issue is a “matter of urgency.”
The letter added: “Our clients’ health continues to deteriorate, such that the risk of their dying increases every day.”
An “urgent meeting” is needed “with the proposed defendant to discuss the deterioration of our clients’ health and to discuss attempts to resolve the situation,” it said.
Seven of the Palestine Action prisoners have been admitted to hospital since the hunger strike was launched on Nov. 2, including 30-year-old Amu Gib and Kamran Ahmed, 28.
They are being held in prisons across the country. Two members of the group have been forced to end their hunger strike due to health conditions: Jon Cink, 25, ended on day 41, while 22-year-old Umer Khalid finished on day 13.
Gib, now on day 51, was hospitalized last week and reportedly needs a wheelchair due to health concerns.
Dr. James Smith, an emergency physician, warned journalists last Thursday that some of the imprisoned activists “are dying” and need specialized medical care.
In a letter signed by more than 800 doctors, Smith said the hunger strikers were at “very high risk of serious complications, including organ failure, irreversible neurological damage, cardiac arrhythmias and death.”
The strikers are demanding that Palestine Action, which is classified as a terrorist organization, be de-proscribed.
They are also urging the government to shut down defense companies with ties to Israel, among other demands.
In response to the latest letter, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We strongly refute these claims. We want these prisoners to accept support and get better, and we will not create perverse incentives that would encourage more people to put themselves at risk through hunger strikes.”
