Andrew Tate told judges a woman accusing him of rape followed him to Romania and made up the allegation when he refused to give her €200,000 to buy a house.
He told judges “it’s time for this circus to end” as he argued prosecutors only considered “small snippets” of information relevant to the case.
The British-American former kickboxer, 36, has maintained his innocence since being arrested along with his brother, Tristan, 33, on allegations of rape, human trafficking and forming an organized crime group on December 29, 2022.
He said the rape allegation against him lacked “concrete evidence” before the Bucharest appeals court earlier this month.
Brother Tristan Tate was seen this morning protesting his innocence to reporters outside the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate (DIICOT) in Romania, where they were moved for questioning.
Police escort Andrew Tate, right, handcuffed to his brother Tristan, outside the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate (DIICOT) in Romania on Thursday
Former kickboxer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate have been detained since December for membership in an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape.
Earlier this month, the Bucharest Court of Appeal heard Andrew Tate’s defense against allegations that he raped a woman staying with him in Romania between November 2021 and April 2022.
Romanian news outlet Gandul reports that the woman asked to move to Romania with him and filed a rape complaint nearly six months later when he refused to give her money to buy a house and become a TikTok star .
The woman is said to have had a drug addiction when they met at the strip club where she worked in London.
Tate said he allowed the woman to move alone to Romania with him.
Due to her drug problem, the woman was asked to stay with Tate’s assistant, Georgiana Naghel, who was also arrested in connection with the investigation.
Police say Naghel and ex-policewoman Luana Radu acted as the brothers’ lieutenants, helping to keep six women as prisoners and forcing them to make online porn videos.
Tate, however, claims his accuser filed charges after refusing to give him money to “open a bar on the beach, perform on a TV show and become famous on TikTok”.
He alleges the woman asked for €200,000 to buy a house for her sister in Chisnau, Moldova.
The Tates brothers were also transferred Wednesday to DIICOT, where prosecutors examined electronic equipment confiscated during the investigation into their case, in Bucharest.
Andrew and his brother moved into a converted warehouse in Romania, which they staffed with armed guards, in 2017.
In their hideaway on the outskirts of Bucharest, the Tate brothers had a video chat studio where several women were found during a police raid in April 2022.
Prosecutors say the brothers lured women into the studio where they were sexually exploited through “acts of physical abuse and mental coercion (through intimidation, constant surveillance, control and invocation of alleged debts) “, made to produce and share pornographic material.
Andrew boasted in a YouTube video before his arrest that women who stayed with him were not allowed to leave; he said, ‘you’re not going anywhere’.
Tate is also accused of raping the Moldovan, who he claims followed him from London, in March 2022, which he categorically denies.
On Thursday, brother Tristan, also a former professional kickboxer, told reporters: ‘What evidence is there against Tristan Tate? There are not any. This should be the news of the day.
Andrew Tate was not seen speaking to cameras today.
During a podcast before his arrest, when asked why he initially moved to Romania, Tate said “being able to escape rape allegations” was his motivation.
“I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of being able to do whatever I want. I like to be free.
The brothers’ alleged sex trafficking victims claimed they would call them “slaves” and tricked them into becoming webcam porn workers with promises of marriage.
The brothers’ security chief told the BBC that some of the women who spent time with the brothers at their compound in Romania “misunderstood the reality and believed [they would] be [Andrew Tate’s] next wife.
“When they realize the reality, it’s easy to go from friend to foe and give a statement to the police.”
Tristan Tate spoke to cameras on Thursday as he and his brother were transferred to DIICOT
Prosecutors continue to examine evidence the brothers trafficked women to Romania
The brothers have denied the allegations made against them.
When asked if he had hurt any women, Tate replied, “of course not”.
No charges have yet been brought against the brothers, with Andrew saying in his first public comment since his arrest yesterday: ‘They know we haven’t done anything wrong.’
‘This file is completely empty. Of course it’s unfair. There is no justice in Romania.
