BUCHAREST, Romania (NEWSnet/AP) — A Romanian court ruled Friday that social media influencer Andrew Tate can leave Romania but must remain within the European Union as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

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The Bucharest Tribunal’s decision to allow Tate, 37, to leave the country was hailed by his spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, as a “significant victory and a major step forward” in the case.

It's unclear whether prosecutors can or will appeal the court’s decision.

Tate, a former professional kickboxer and dual British U.S. citizen, was initially arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women.

Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and all four have denied the allegations.

One of Tate’s lawyers said the ability to travel within the 27-nation EU bloc will allow the Tates to “pursue professional opportunities without restriction.”

Andrew Tate, who has amassed 9.5 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him. He was previously banned from various social media platforms for allegedly expressing misogynistic views and using hate speech.

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