Since April 2022, Andrew Tate and brother Tristan have found themselves in a tangled legal tussle. Romanian authorities arrested them on serious charges, including human trafficking and establishing an organized crime group. Even though he was – unbeknownst to authorities – losing legal challenges in Romania, Andrew Tate was allegedly still able to procure a passport from Vanuatu. He reportedly acquired it via a citizenship-by-investment program during this chaotic period.
The Romanian authorities only started their criminal investigation into the Tates in April 2022. They were charged with a range of crimes, including human trafficking and forming an organized crime syndicate. Both brothers have consistently denied these allegations. In that ruling, released in December 2022, the appeals court sided with advocates. It insisted that the plaintiffs’ human trafficking lawsuit against them should be dismissed due to legal and procedural technicalities.
While the legal proceedings in Romania continue. At the same time, Andrew and Tristan Tate are preparing to fight extradition to the UK. UK prosecutors have cleared them for criminal prosecution on 21 distinct charges. Proceeding against Andrew are 10 charges, including the rape of one woman, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain against seven women. Tristan is connected to 11 other charges of this type, all involving one other claimed victim.
The indictment against the two brothers concerns three claimed victims. This reality points toward the gravity of the charges they are currently facing. Importantly, Andrew Tate has been accused, in several instances, specifically of rape. The legal landscape is changing by the day. What impact, if any, these serious charges will have on their ongoing cases in Romania and the UK remains to be seen.
In a surprising development, it has recently been revealed that Andrew Tate reportedly obtained a Vanuatu passport. This passport was purchased through a citizenship-by-investment scheme which grants foreign nationals access to St Kitts & Nevis citizenship for around $130,000 (£96,000). Tate’s citizenship was finally granted in December 2022, as reported by NXT Citizen, the nonprofit that processed Tate’s application. His passport was then issued in January 2023 when he was still in Romania under pre-trial detention.
There is growing global alarm over Vanuatu’s citizenship-by-investment program. In response, the European Union has announced that it will be suspending its visa-free travel deal with the island nation. This ruling is long overdue and calls into question the propriety and consequences of obtaining citizenship in these circumstances.
Andrew Tate spent more time in his youth in Luton, UK. This context all underscores the breadth of his continuing legal challenges as he readies to make his return to Britain. Both he and Tristan Tate will have the opportunity to defend themselves against the charges they face upon their return.