The brothers, facing rape and trafficking allegations, were previously barred from leaving Romania.
Social media personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are facing criminal accusations in Bucharest, departed Romania for the United States on Thursday. The pair had been under a travel ban due to the ongoing legal proceedings against them.
The Tate brothers, who hold dual US and UK citizenship, were taken into custody in Romania in 2022. The charges included human trafficking, sexual exploitation, money laundering, and establishing a criminal organization. They have refuted all accusations of misconduct. Following a three-month period of police custody, they were placed under house arrest and have had limited freedom of movement since their release.
According to media reports, the brothers boarded a private plane from Bucharest early Thursday bound for Florida after Romanian authorities gave back their American passports. The Romanian special prosecutor’s service (DIICOT), which is in charge of the case, confirmed on Thursday that it had removed the travel restrictions that were preventing them from leaving the country.
The departure follows reports that the administration of former US President Donald Trump had been lobbying Romania to remove the travel restrictions on the brothers, who are vocal supporters of Trump.
According to the Financial Times, US officials initially addressed the matter in a phone conversation with the Romanian government earlier in the month. Later, Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, brought up the request with Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu at the Munich Security Conference. However, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu later denied that the Trump administration had pressured him regarding the case.
The initial criminal case against the brothers was put on hold last month after the Bucharest appeals court sent it back to prosecutors, citing flaws in the formal accusation. However, the DIICOT stated that the charges have not been dropped and that prosecutors are working on a new case. They added that if the brothers fail to attend any future court hearings in Romania, their travel bans may be reinstated or they may be arrested. The BBC reports that the brothers are expected to be back in Romania by the end of March.
In addition to the Romanian charges, the two also face allegations of rape and human trafficking in the UK. A Bucharest court ruled last year that they could be extradited to Britain once the Romanian legal proceedings against them are concluded.