Andrew Tate: Romanian police widen probe into controversial influencer - BBC

The show of Mr Tate's shiny dove-grey Porsche perched delicately connected the battered framework of a constabulary tow motortruck neatly captured his displacement successful fortunes as, done the precocious achromatic gates of his compound, a dilatory procession of trucks carried his prized postulation of luxury cars to articulation him successful constabulary custody.

At the broadside of the road, a azygous instrumentality stood watching. "I see myself a fan," Emmanuel told me. "Every lad likes his lifestyle.

"I don't similar what I'm proceeding astir him, but we'll spot if it's true. I'll alteration my cognition if I spot proof."

Some present spot the confiscation of the cars arsenic a motion that the Romanian authorities are preparing for the adjacent signifier successful this case, securing assets arsenic collateral against imaginable compensation claims from victims, successful the lawsuit that Andrew Tate oregon his member Tristan are charged with radical trafficking.

Raids connected 7 much properties past week are wide seen arsenic a motion that investigators are expanding their hunt for grounds successful the case.

In the municipality of Comarnic, 2 hours' thrust to the north, the Tate villa, freshly raided by constabulary connected Thursday, towers implicit the houses astir it. Small homemade sheds perch against the precocious walls that situation the property.

Neighbours present accidental the spot was afloat renovated past year, and lone completed a fewer months ago.

Trandafir Beldica lives successful a worn lodging artifact beside the main gross to the villa.

"The feline successful complaint of the operation asked maine to enactment connected the electrics, but erstwhile they explained what they wanted, I told them it was mode beyond what I knew however to do," Trandafir told me.

Inside, helium said, the location has "all the amenities you tin deliberation of".

"It's highly luxurious," helium explained. "It's divided into flats [and] they could spend to physique a swimming excavation - things that radical similar america couldn't adjacent situation to imagination of."

How Andrew Tate made his wealth is simply a cardinal portion of this investigation.

Police privation to cognize whether helium lured women to Romania with promises of a superior narration oregon marriage, earlier forcing oregon manipulating them into moving for him arsenic models successful big amusement chat rooms.

They are besides looking into rape allegations made by 1 of the witnesses.

Investigators person confirmed that six women person been identified arsenic imaginable victims. But past week, 2 of the women successful the probe publically denied immoderate mistreatment by the Tate brothers.

The women - who person tattoos speechmaking "Property of Tate" and "Tate Girl" - worked successful the compound successful Bucharest, wherever Andrew Tate lived with his member and the models who staffed his big web-cam business.

Speaking to Romania's Antena 1 TV channel, 1 of the women - identified arsenic Beatrice - said she had been "good friends" with the Tate brothers for 2 years and had "Tate Girl" tattooed connected her limb "out of respect for them".

The different pistillate - Jasmin - said she had ne'er seen Mr Tate oregon his member Tristan beryllium "aggressive oregon rude".

The BBC has verified their identities with a erstwhile subordinate of Tate staff.

"I was ne'er threatened," Beatrice said. "If I was, I wouldn't beryllium anserine capable to enactment successful that house.

"You can't picture maine arsenic a unfortunate successful the lawsuit record if I'm not a victim."

Describing the infinitesimal constabulary archetypal entered the compound successful December, Beatrice said 20 constabulary officers charged successful and went upstairs to a chamber where, she says, 2 different women had locked themselves wrong the country successful fearfulness of the raid.

"They broke the doorway down. [The women] screamed," Beatrice said.

"But the constabulary didn't spot that the cardinal to the chamber was lying connected the bed."

BBC News has spoken to others who person antithetic memories of the raid.

There is small clarity astir what grounds investigators person gathered truthful far. And among the Tates' erstwhile associates, claims, counter-claims and conspiracy theories beryllium side-by-side.

No charges person yet been brought, but Mihaela Dragus, spokeswoman for Romania's National Anti-Trafficking Agency, says the lawsuit is already sending a beardown connection to some traffickers and victims.

"The information that the justness strategy has decided to support the brothers successful custody, adjacent during the preliminary signifier of the [case], sends a precise important message," she says.

In 1 of his societal media videos, Andrew Tate explains wherefore helium moved to Romania successful 2017.

"One of [my reasons] is the #MeToo era," helium says. "People say: 'Oh you are a rapist'. No, I americium not a rapist, but I similar the thought of being capable to bash what I want, I similar being free."

"If she goes to the [Romanian] constabulary and says: 'He raped maine yesterday', they'll accidental ok, bash you person evidence? Is determination CCTV proof?"

None of this is grounds that Mr Tate was progressive successful quality trafficking oregon rape, but his appraisal of Romania's cognition to intersexual crimes is not wrong, says Laura Stefan, a ineligible adept and salient anti-corruption campaigner moving with the Expert Forum deliberation tank.

"In a way, he's right," she told me. "Listening to him, the mode helium explained wherefore helium came here, I could subordinate to that; I thought helium made a bully calculation - unfortunately."

But she says things are changing.

"Romania has a superior occupation with trafficking, and I deliberation the Romanian authorities person travel to recognize that this has to beryllium dealt with," she explained.

"That means not lone investigating a fistful of hotshots, but besides moving with the victims and providing them with support."

Last year, Romania made capable advancement for the US Trafficking In Persons study to instrumentality it disconnected their watchlist.

But the study besides repeated concerns astir Romanian officials themselves being progressive successful radical trafficking.

This case, involving a controversial, high-profile property with US-British citizenship, has enactment a caller spotlight connected however Romania handles allegations of organised transgression and intersexual exploitation.

Police person little than 2 weeks to complaint the Tate brothers, oregon find capable grounds to person a justice to widen their detention portion the probe continues.

Andrew Tate's estimation is connected the line. Romania's is too.