The controversial social media influencer and his brother have both been detained since December.
Image source, ReutersControversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will remain in custody in Romania for a fourth consecutive month, a court has ruled.
The brothers have been detained since December and are being investigated on allegations of rape, people trafficking and forming an organised crime group. Both have denied wrongdoing.
Mr Tate’s lawyers say he will be held until the end of April.
Under Romanian law, the men can be held for up to six months in detention.
The brothers’ lawyers told a court in Bucharest prosecutors had brought no new evidence to Wednesday’s hearing.
They suggested their clients’ notoriety was contributing to the decision to keep them in custody.
Lawyers have long argued keeping the Tates in preventative custody is unnecessarily harsh, when other judicial options – such as house arrest – are available.
But, judges have repeatedly disagreed and ruled four times this year to keep the men in preventative detention while investigators compile evidence against them.
As well as testimony from several women, police have gathered evidence from wire-tapped conversations, both before and after the Tate brothers’ arrests, according to those close to the case.
The investigation has now been expanded to cover possible money-laundering activities.
No charges have yet been brought against the brothers or the two Romanian associates who were arrested alongside them.
In 2016, Mr Tate, a former kickboxer, was removed from British TV show Big Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.
He went on to gain notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. He has since been reinstated.
Despite social media bans he gained popularity, particularly among young men, by promoting what he presented as a hyper-masculine, ultra-luxurious lifestyle.