Romanian prosecutors announced on Thursday that they have approved the departure of controversial American influencer Andrew Tate, who faces human trafficking charges. According to local media, he and his brother, Tristan, are currently flying to the U.S. on a private jet.

For the past two years, the Tate brothers have been at the center of a high-profile legal case in Romania. They are accused of human trafficking, coercing individuals into pornography, and involvement in an organized criminal group. Until now, they had been under police supervision and previously placed under house arrest, unable to leave the country.

Did Trump’s Administration Intervene?

In mid-February, the British newspaper Financial Times reported that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pressured Romanian authorities to return the Tates’ passports and allow them to leave.

According to three sources cited by Financial Times, the issue was first raised in early February during a phone call between the new U.S. administration and Romanian government officials. Later, Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell discussed the matter with Romania’s Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Romania has become a focal point in Trump’s administration’s narrative about the „decline of values” in Europe. Members of the new U.S. government have repeatedly criticized Bucharest for annulling the November presidential election won by nationalist Calin Georgescu. The Romanian Constitutional Court invalidated the results, citing evidence of election manipulation allegedly supported by Russia.

In his speech at MSC, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the annulment of the election demonstrates that Romania—and, by extension, the European Union—no longer shares the values that once formed the foundation of the North Atlantic alliance.