Andrew Tate prosecutors claim the former kickboxer tried to recruit Romanian politicians to support him in exchange for votes

Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate has been accused by prosecutors of trying to bribe Romanian politicians to aid his release from jail.

Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested and have been held in custody since December 2022. The brothers were the subject of a police probe and have been accused of rape, human trafficking and conspiring to form a criminal group. The two have yet to be officially charged for their alleged crimes, but the Romanian government has regularly increased their detainment period by 30 days at a time.

Per Reuters, wiretaps have discovered that Andrew Tate allegedly sought to fight his allegations by trying to recruit two right-wing Romanian politicians. According to the wiretaps, 'Cobra' asked two of his associates to approach politicians George Simion and Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca to tell them that he was being framed. Tate also suggested that supporting his case would be "very good" for their political careers.

In the wiretap, Tate allegedly told his associates:

"So make it clear to them: You will get a lot of votes when Tate says you took their side."

The former kickboxing champion was also recorded asking one of his friends to publish a video on social media of one of the alleged human trafficking victims dancing:

"Yes, put them everywhere and say, 'This girl says she is kidnapped when she is not kidnapped'... Yes, screw them."

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Andrew Tate addresses his drastic change in appearance

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate have been detained in Romanian police custody since December 2022.

Prior to their arrest, 'Cobra' was known for his shaved head and muscular physique, which he maintained despite having retired from kickboxing a number of years ago.

Now, after more than two months in custody, Tate has sent a message to his fans on Twitter, after images of him looking drastically different went viral.

Check out a recent image of Andrew Tate below:

Tate took to Twitter to admit to fans that he hardly recognized himself either, but suggested that his mind is far from breaking whilst in custody:

"I saw my reflection today and I barely recognized myself. A long beard, a full head of hair and the stresses of battle show on my face. But then I looked into my eyes And recognized myself completely. They cannot break me."