(CNN) – Right-wing influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan told CNN they left Romania on a private jet heading to the US after prosecutors lifted travel restrictions for the pair leaving the country.
The Tate Brothers, a dual US and UK citizen, were arrested in 2022 and were banned from leaving Romania after being arrested and charged with rape, human trafficking, money laundering and launching organized criminal groups. They denied all wrongdoing.
Their lawyer, Ioan Griga, said the brothers left Romania on Thursday morning and were flying to Florida.
“They no longer have a travel ban… The prosecutor has revised the previously imposed obligations at the request of their lawyers,” Griga said.
The decision by Romanian authorities to lift the ban reportedly put pressure on the US to ease restrictions on Tate after putting pressure on Bucharest.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that President Donald Trump’s administration had forced Romanian authorities to first lift Tate travel restrictions by phone.
Hurezeanu later confirmed that he had discussed Tate Brothers with US officials, but said he was not under pressure to lift restrictions on them. A Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman told CNN on Thursday that the debate was “no pressure or solicitation.”
In a statement Thursday, Romanian prosecutors stressed that while only travel restrictions have been lifted, “all other obligations remain in effect.
Attorney Griga told CNN that the Tate Brothers will return to Romania less than a month to appear in the next court on March 24th.
The decision to lift travel restrictions has been widely criticized by Romanian politicians.
Elena Lasconi, the candidate for the May presidential election, said she was “furious” by the decision, and authorities must explain whether their decision was made under external pressure.
“We cannot accept that the image of Romania is hurt by immunity and rebellion,” Lasconi said. “If not, what message would we send to the world? Can anyone with money and influence escape that in Romania?”
“I cried again.”
In addition to the charges in Romania, Tate also faces a civil lawsuit in the UK, claiming that four women were raped and forced to control by Tate. Tate denied the allegation.
In a statement shared with CNN, the woman said she “feels distrust and re-ordered” by reports that she was allowed to leave Romania, and said she feared that Tate would use his new freedom to “continue to spread violent and misogyny doctrines around the world.”
“There is a great risk that criminal prosecution for his alleged crimes in Romania is not progressing right now,” they said.
“The proposal that Tates faces justice in Romania now is fantastical,” said Tribunal Matthew Ju, the alleged victim.
Ju-dean said Bucharest was “embarrassing” when lifting travel restrictions and he found a decision of “disgust and disappointment.”
Later on Thursday, British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer will meet with Trump for talks in Washington, D.C. The ju judge said the priority would like to use the meeting “to raise this issue” on behalf of the alleged victim of the UK.
Tate – gaining internet fame in recent years, gaining billions of views on Diatrib and Tiktok about male domination, female submission, and wealth – was banned from almost all social media platforms before Trump’s current advisor Elon Musk took over X and recovered his account.
In Romania, the first criminal case against Tate and his brother failed in December, when the Bucharest Court decided not to start trial, citing the flaws in the charges.
Romanian court lifted a home arrest order against Tate in January, replacing it with a lighter precaution. In October, the court decided that, waiting for an investigation, should recover the luxury car worth around 4 million euros ($4.43 million) seized by prosecutors.
