Andrew Tate, brother to stand trial in Romania on human trafficking charges

April 26 (UPI) -- Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother will stand trial on human trafficking and rape charges, a Romanian court said Friday.

Andrew and Tristan Tate were indicted last June along with two Romanian women on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, allegations they have denied.

A Romanian court in March approved a British warrant for the Tate brothers' arrest on charges alleging sexual offenses in the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2015. The two can be extradited back to the U.K. only after trial proceedings in Romania are completed.

They have been held at Bucharest Police Headquarters under the orders of the Bucharest Court of Appeal public prosecutor.

The Bucharest court, meanwhile, had to inspect the case files and evidence to ensure legality before the trial could proceed. The court has not yet confirmed a trial date.

The former kickboxers and Internet personalities allegedly exploited women to produce pornographic content for social media sites, which generated large sums of money, according to prosecutors.

The Tate brothers plan to appeal the charges against them. Andrew Tate has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence against him, and that the case is a conspiracy to silence him.

Their lead counsel, Eugen Vidineac, said the ruling "lacks legal basis and reasoning."

"We have filed a strong appeal as we believe the ruling to be unlawful," he said.

Andrew Sandulescu, attorney for the two female suspects, also claimed the decision "is unlawful and without foundation."

Andrew Tate rose to Internet stardom by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle and social media content, which critics have condemned as misogynist.