A turquoise Koenigsegg Jesko, the world’s fastest car and worth about £2.3m, zipped through central Bucharest at nearly 100mph on Monday 24 March. At the wheel, the self-proclaimed “misogynist” influencer Andrew Tate, exuding an air of invincibility as he sped past the imposing Palace of the Parliament.

To the surprise of many Romanians – and to their horror, frankly – Andrew and his brother, Tristan, collectively known as the Tate brothers, had returned to Romania from the US as part of their legal obligations in the investigation against them on serious charges of rape, money laundering and human trafficking. The two also face separate charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK. The two men deny any wrongdoing. Their return made front pages around the world – but this is so much more than a big news story for people here. It is a true test of our political and judicial system at a tense time in our history. Will officials bow down to pressure from the new US administration? What will their handling of the case say about the country we are now?

The omens aren’t good. After reporting to a Bucharest police station, as required under the conditions of a recently relaxed travel ban, Andrew Tate told reporters he was “happy” to be back in Romania. Then he declared himself “one of the most important people on the planet” and berated journalists pressing him on whether he planned to stay in the country. Ebullience merged with farce. The flashy return was briefly interrupted when their supercar broke down, bleeding oil on to the streets and forcing them to tow it to a repair shop. This week, the authorities are returning more........

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