Expensive cars, a swimming pool and security guards – Andrew Tate’s lavish Bucharest home may have to pay for his legal woes
We drive down a dusty street in the northern suburbs of Bucharest.
The surface is rough and cracked; there are nails sticking up that have been bent over by the traffic. Weeds grow through the pavement and a parking area is strewn with rubbish.
Along one side of the road, you can see what seems to be a small warehouse, with a door marked out for the security guard. It’s a fairly ugly building from the outside.
But it’s not a warehouse anymore. This is the home of the Tate brothers, a short distance from the runway of the city’s airport, backing onto what looks like scrubland. Peer through the bars on the gate, though, and you see a very different world.
Tate’s home is behind a security gate
Luxury cars can be seen on the land owned by Andrew Tate
There is a looming statue in the front yard, a swimming pool, the word “Tate” picked out in large scrolled writing on two walls, and, most notably, four expensive cars parked by the far wall. A Porsche, a BMW, an Aston Martin and a Rolls-Royce.
Two of them have British personal plates that start with T8, for Tate. I later check and discover that one of them is many months late for its MoT.
This is the house that has been featured in various short films made by Andrew Tate, celebrating his opulent lifestyle. Now, it is quiet.
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Andrew Tate arrives at Romanian court
There are several security men wandering around, presumably to keep an eye on the expensive cars and to ensure that nobody breaks into a house that is now, famously, unoccupied but, just as famously, full of expensive decoration.
We ring the bell, but nobody answers. The house, and its contents, have now been seized by the Romanian government as part of its prosecution of the brothers. Should they ultimately be found guilty then all these things can be sold off to pay for costs and compensation.
It is here that the Tates are alleged to have orchestrated their plan to lure women to Romania and then coerce them into working on pornographic webcams.
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It’s also here that Andrew Tate set up base for his Hustlers University business, which has been described as both a pyramid-selling scheme and a machine to bolster his own online presence.
Neighbours told us that they had seen plenty of coming and going from the house. One described the Tates using a Romanian word that roughly translates as “wheeler-dealers”.
Another said that they had been unpopular during the summer, when they revved their cars at night, while the rest of the block was trying to sleep with their windows open.
Others, though, pointedly made no comment. I spoke to plenty of people in the area, and very few wanted to talk about their notorious neighbours, even in passing. Allegations involving the words “organised crime” often tend to do that.
Andrew Tate leaves after appearing at the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania
When they were arrested, the allegations seemed extraordinary. The brothers are not simply accused of breaking the law, but of being involved in truly heinous acts.
Somehow, despite the ghastly precedents of recent years, it still seems disconcerting to find high-profile characters being linked to such terrible acts. Crimes that we should record, they deny.
But now that the dust has settled, the case feels more real and tangible. The wheels of justice are turning and, to prove that, we moved from their house to the looming Court of Appeal in the middle of Bucharest.
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And it was there that the Tate brothers lost an appeal against their own detention, as well as the seizure of their assets.
During a hearing that went on for more than five hours, and which was held in private, they both spoke, along with two other defendants, Alexandra Luana Radu and Georgiana Naghel.
But it was to no effect. Their lawyer argued that there was little evidence against them, and that there was no reason to think they would flee the country. Instead, the two judges, both women, upheld the original decision to hold them in custody for 30 days until the end of January.
It’s very likely that the prosecution will seek to extend that detention in the weeks to come. Nobody expects this case, full of complexities and controversy, to come to court very soon.
And in the meantime, in that drab street in Voluntari, the curious Tate residence will stand empty. A testament to an empire that has, at least for the time being, ground to a halt.
World
‘At least 798 killed’ at Gaza aid points – as medical charity warns acute malnutrition at all-time high
At least 798 people in Gaza have reportedly been killed while receiving aid in the past six weeks – while acute malnutrition is said to have reached an all-time high.
The UN human rights office said 615 of the deaths – between 27 May and 7 July – were “in the vicinity” of sites run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
A further 183 people killed were “presumably on the route of aid convoys,” said Ravina Shamdasani, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Its figures are based on a range of sources, including hospitals, cemeteries, and families in the Gaza Strip, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), its partners on the ground, and Hamas-run health authorities.
Aid agency Project Hope said on Thursday that 10 children were among at least 15 people killed as they waited for its clinic in Deir al Balah to open.
Ten children were reportedly killed when Israel attacked near a clinic on Thursday. Pic: AP
The GHF has claimed the UN figures are “false and misleading” and has repeatedly denied any violence at or around its sites.
Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) – also known as Doctors Without Borders – said two of its sites were seeing their worst-ever levels of severe malnutrition.
Cases at its Gaza City clinic are said to have tripled from 293 in May to 983 in early July.
“Over 700 pregnant or breastfeeding women and nearly 500 children are now receiving emergency nutritional care,” MSF said.
The humanitarian medical charity said food prices were at extreme levels, with sugar at $766 (£567) per kilo and flour $30 (£22) per kilo, and many families surviving on one meal of rice or lentils a day.
It’s a major concern for the estimated 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza, who risk miscarriage, stillbirth and malnourished infants because of the shortages.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the coastal territory.
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US aid contractors claim live ammo fired at Palestinians
It has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip.
The sites, kept off-limits to independent media, are guarded by private security contractors and located in zones where the Israeli military operates.
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire towards crowds of people going to receive aid.
The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people who have behaved in what it says is a suspicious manner.
It says its forces operate near the aid sites to stop supplies from falling into the hands of militants.
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GHF aid distribution linked to increased deaths
Gaza situation ‘apocalyptic’, says UN expert
After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid hubs, the United Nations has called the GHF’s aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In response, a GHF spokesperson said: “The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys.”
The GHF says it has delivered more than 70 million meals to Gazans in five weeks and claims other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted” by Hamas or criminal gangs.
At least 798 people in Gaza have been killed while receiving aid in six weeks, the UN human rights office has said.
A spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said 615 of the killings were “in the vicinity” of sites run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
A further 183 people killed were “presumably on the route of aid convoys,” Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
The office said its figures are based on numbers from a range of sources, including hospitals, cemeteries and families in the Gaza Strip, as well as NGOs, its partners on the ground and the Hamas-run health authorities.
The GHF has claimed the figures are “false and misleading”. It has repeatedly denied there has been any violence at or around its sites.
The organisation began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the enclave.
It has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip. The sites, kept off-limits to independent media, are guarded by private security contractors and located in zones where the Israeli military operates.
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire towards crowds of people going to receive aid.
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US aid contractors claim live ammo fired at Palestinians
The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people who have behaved in what they say is a suspicious manner.
It says its forces operate near the aid sites to stop supplies falling into the hands of militants.
Read more:
GHF aid distribution linked to increased deaths
Gaza situation ‘apocalyptic’, says UN expert
After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid hubs, the United Nations has called the GHF’s aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In response, a GHF spokesperson told the Reuters news agency: “The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys.”
The GHF says it has delivered more than 70 million meals to Gazans in five weeks and claims other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted” by Hamas or criminal gangs.
Ten children and two women are among at least 15 killed in an airstrike near a Gaza health clinic, according to an aid organisation.
Project Hope said it happened this morning near Altayara Junction, in Deir al Balah, as patients waited for the clinic to open.
The organisation’s president called it a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza“.
“No child waiting for food and medicine should face the risk of being bombed,” added the group’s project manager, Dr Mithqal Abutaha.
“It was a horrific scene. People had to come seeking health and support, instead they faced death.”
Operations at the clinic – which provides a range of health and maternity services – have been suspended.
Some of the children were reportedly waiting to receive nutritional supplements, necessary due to the dire shortage of food being allowed into Gaza.
Israel‘s military is investigating and said it was targeting a militant who took part in the 7 October terror attack.
“The IDF [Israel Defence Force] regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible,” added.
The deaths come as an agreement over a 60-day truce hangs in the balance – with President Trump cautiously saying it could happen “this week, or next week”.
Elsewhere in Gaza, the Nasser Hospital reported another 21 deaths in airstrikes in Khan Younis and in the nearby coastal area of Muwasi.
It said three children and their mother were among the dead.
Israel said its troops have been dismantling more than 130 Hamas infrastructure sites in Khan Younis over the past week, including missile launch sites, weapons storage facilities and a 500m tunnel.
On Wednesday, a soldier was shot dead when militants burst out of a tunnel and tried to abduct him, the military added.
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Do Trump and Netanyahu really get along?
Eighteen soldiers have been killed in the past three weeks – one of the deadliest periods for the Israeli army in months.
A 22-year-old Israeli man was also killed on Thursday by two attackers in a supermarket in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the Magen David Adom emergency service.
People on site reportedly shot and killed the attackers but information on their identity has so far not been released.
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IDF chief says conditions ‘created’ for Gaza ceasefire
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Lack of food and water ‘lethal’ for Gaza children
Negotiations over a proposed 60-day ceasefire are ongoing and President Trump reportedly put “heavy” pressure on Israel’s leader, who visited the US this week.
A major sticking point is said to be the status of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire and beyond, should it last longer.
However, Sky News understands the Israeli government thinks the chances of a permanent truce are “questionable”.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war – more than half are women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Its figure does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
The war began in October 2023 after Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 251 others.
Some of them remain In Gaza and are a crucial part of ceasefire negotiations, which also include a planned surge in humanitarian aid into the strip.
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