Controversial online influencer Andrew Tate has been released from house arrest by a Romanian court pending the results of a criminal investigation, his spokesman said.
Instead, he has been placed under judicial control, meaning he can travel through Romania, “subject to the required legal conditions,” the spokesman added.
Tate, 38, faces charges of trafficking minors, sexual contact with minors and money laundering, along with his brother Tristan. Both have vehemently denied the allegations.
The spokesman added: “Andrew Tate and his team remain committed to fully cooperating and pursuing justice.”
Tate was placed under house arrest in August, when prosecutors opened a second criminal investigation against him and Tristan Tate, along with four other suspects, on charges of trafficking minors, sexual contact with minors and money laundering. They all deny wrongdoing.
First, a separate case against the brothers was returned to the prosecutors by the Court of Appeal in Bucharest in December for a second time, saying it could not continue in its current form.
In that case, Andrew and Tristan Tate were charged with human trafficking and setting up an organized group to sexually exploit women.
They deny those charges as well as the rape and human trafficking charges brought against them in the UK, where police are seeking to extradite the dual UK-US nationals.
A judge in Bucharest earlier said the extradition request would be considered after the case in Romania was concluded.
The brothers are also accused of tax evasion in Britain. Last month, a British court ruled that police could confiscate more than 2 million pounds ($2.4 million) from them for failing to pay tax on 21 million pounds of income from their online business.
Andrew Tait said the decision was “not fair” and called it a “coordinated attack”.
He is a self-described misogynist and has previously been banned from social media platforms for expressing these views.
A former kickboxer, he has gained millions of followers online and has lived in Romania for several years, having previously been based in the UK.