A court in Romania has ruled that a human trafficking case against controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate cannot be heard in its current form.

On Thursday, the appeal court in Bucharest upheld a lawsuit filed by the brothers and referred the case back to the public prosecutor’s office for further review.

It is the second time the court has returned the case to prosecutors, who now have five days to change the charges or drop the charges.

The Tate brothers, aged 38 and 36, are accused of human trafficking and forming an organized group to sexually exploit women. They have firmly rejected the allegations.

In November, the same court found “irregularities” in the charges against her and asked prosecutors to amend their pleadings.

At that time, the court also removed several pieces of evidence and found some statements from alleged victims inadmissible.

The brothers’ successful appeal on Thursday represents another setback for prosecutors.

They have accused the British-American dual citizens of exploiting women through an adult content company that allegedly operated as a criminal enterprise.

Two Romanian employees were also named in the indictment published in June last year, in which seven alleged victims were identified.

Andrew Tate describes himself as misogynistic and has previously been banned from social media platforms for expressing such views.

The former kickboxer has gained millions of followers online, where he often mixes political messages with displays of a flashy lifestyle.

He has been living in Romania for a number of years, having previously been based in the UK.

Following the verdict in his favor, he released a statement on Thursday saying: “They have had years to build their case – years to destroy my life, target everyone I know and even the mother to summon my child. And yet they have nothing.”

He added: “This is all a lie and I will fight to the end to expose it and prove my innocence.”

His brother Tristan said: “If after all these years there is not enough evidence to go to court, that means there was never enough evidence.”

The Romanian prosecutor’s office, known as DIICOT, has not yet commented on the verdict.

In August, it said it had opened a second criminal investigation into the Tate brothers over new allegations of human trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with minors and money laundering.

That same month, Andrew Tate was placed under house arrest by a Romanian judge, while his brother was placed under special judicial control.

British police are also demanding the extradition of the Tate brothers in connection with allegations of rape and human trafficking. The Tate brothers deny these allegations.

They are also accused of tax evasion in the United Kingdom. On Wednesday, a British court ruled that police could seize more than £2 million from the Tate brothers for failing to pay tax on the £21 million in income from their online businesses.