BUCHAREST (Reuters) – A Romanian court ruled on Tuesday to throw out evidence gathered against Internet personality Andrew Tate in a human trafficking case and gave prosecutors five days to decide whether to proceed with the trial or withdraw the case.

Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian suspects were formally indicted in June 2023, and the Bucharest court ruled that the trial can begin in April. The suspects deny any wrongdoing.

Tate appealed the decision, and an appeals court on Tuesday struck down prosecutors’ anti-organized crime probe, citing flaws in the indictment and violations of legal rights.

The court ordered the removal of several pieces of evidence from the case file, including statements given by two alleged primary victims and witness testimony from the Tate brothers, both of which it found inadmissible.

The court also said it found inconsistencies in the indictment, including improper descriptions of the acts committed by the female suspects, missing details about the seizure of property, and prosecutors’ failure to properly explain the charges against Tate to one of the alleged victims. .

“The current decision will be sent to DIICOT (investigative office) to correct the irregularities in the indictment and to specify within five days if they maintain the intention to send the suspects to court or if they withdraw the case,” the court’s decision reads. .

The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual American and British citizenship, are the most senior suspects on trial for human trafficking in Romania.

“This is a monumental victory for our clients, who have maintained their innocence from the beginning,” Tate’s lead attorney, Eugen Vidineac, said in a statement.

“The court’s decision to exclude key evidence and request rectification of the indictment demonstrates the lack of substantiated claims against them.”

DIICOT was not immediately available for comment.

In a video posted on X, Tate said everything in the file is a lie and “the women lied.”

In August, prosecutors said they had opened a second criminal investigation against the Tates and four other suspects on charges of forming an organized crime group, human trafficking, child trafficking, sex with a minor and money laundering.

The Tate brothers also have a British arrest warrant and will be extradited after the end of the Romanian trial, a court ruled in March.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Angus MacSwan)