A UK court on Monday heard a civil fraud case alleging that controversial online "influencer" Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, along with a female accomplice identified only as J., were "serial tax evaders." 

What is the case about? 

Devon and Cornwall Police in southwest England brought the case, alleging that the siblings failed to pay taxes, in any country, on revenues of some 21 million pounds (roughly €25 million or $27 million) from their online businesses between 2014 and 2022.

"Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are serial tax and VAT evaders," lawyer Sarah Clarke, representing the police, said. VAT means value-added tax, sometimes also referred to as sales tax.

"They, in particular Andrew, are brazen about it," she said.

Clarke referred to a video Tate had posted online in which he said, "When I lived in England I refused to pay tax." She told the court that he said in the video that his strategy was, "ignore, ignore, ignore, because in the end they go away." 

Clarke said the brothers had a huge number of bank accounts in the UK — seven of which have been frozen in the mean time — and that money "washed around" them. 

"That's what tax evasion looks like. That's what money laundering looks like," she said. 

The revenues hailed from products the Tate brothers sold online, and revenues from their OnlyFans website, the court was told. 

More serious sex crimes case in Romania

The case in London opened just a few days after a Romanian court eased travel restrictions on Tate, again allowing him to travel within the European Union without restrictions, while he awaits trial on human trafficking charges. 

Tate was indicted in 2023, charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Tate brothers deny these accusations. 

A Romanian court in April ruled that this trial could start, but the Tates appealed and a renewed decision is still pending. 

The US-born Tate, who often flaunts his personal wealth in his online communications, mused after that decision about where he should travel first, and in which supercar. 

"For the first time in nearly three years, the judges decided I can leave Romania," he said. "So, do we take the [Ferrari] SF90 to Italy? Do we take the [Maserati] MC20 to Cannes? Do we take the [Ferrari] 812 Competizione to Paris? Where do I go?" 

"Now I'm free to do a tour around the world. A Daddy tour," he said in a later post, looking to promote his cryptocurrency with the nickname he often uses for himself. 

msh/wd (AFP, dpa)