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The controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate is due to appear in court in Romania on Monday after allegedly being caught at the weekend driving at 196km/h (122mph) in an area with a 50km/h speed limit.
Tate, a 38-year-old professional kickboxer and self-styled “misogynist influencer” who uses social media to share his love of supercars, expensive watches and private jets, lives in Romania with his younger brother, Tristan, where both face charges including trafficking minors and money laundering.
He was stopped by police early on Saturday morning while driving near the municipality of Râmnicu Vâlcea, which lies 110 miles north-west of the capital, Bucharest.
Police sources quoted in the Romanian media said traffic officers had detected Tate’s vehicle travelling at 196km/h – 146km/h over the speed limit in the zone. They said his driving licence had been suspended for 120 days and that he had been issued a fine of 1,822 lei (£305).
Tate confirmed some of the details in a post on X, but denied speeding, claiming the police officer’s radar gun must have been “calibrated incorrectly”.
“This morning at 6:15am, on a completely empty mountain pass in the middle of the country, I was stopped by police and accused of speeding,” he said. “They said I was driving 197 [sic] on a 40 [sic] in one of my 100 sports cars – and although there was nobody around – my licence must be suspended for 4 months and I would have the [sic] pay the crippling fine of 300 usd [sic]. I can NOT afford this bill. I explained to the officer that his Radar gun must be calibrated incorrectly because I would never do this.”
Tate described the allegation that he was speeding as “grossly false” and said he looked forward to explaining himself when he appeared in court on Monday.
Andrew and Tristan Tate are facing prosecution in Romania over allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. A separate case against them, in which they are accused of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, has been sent back to prosecutors. They deny the charges.
UK prosecutors also recently confirmed charges against the pair. Andrew Tate faces 10 charges including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain – charges connected to three alleged victims.
Tristan Tate faces 11 charges including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking – charges connected to one alleged victim.
An international arrest warrant was issued by Bedfordshire police for the siblings over the allegations, dating back to between 2012 and 2015, which they deny.
The pair are due to be extradited to the UK after the conclusion of proceedings in Romania.
