BUCHAREST, June 13(Reuters) - Romanian prosecutors said on Tuesday that social media influencer Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan and two other suspects were being investigated for human trafficking in continued form, saying it was a more serious crime than separate counts of trafficking. The Tate brothers and two Romanian female suspects are under house arrest pending a criminal investigation for suspected human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, accusations they have denied. Under Romanian legislation, prosecutors have filed charges against the four suspects, but the case is under investigation and has not yet gone to trial. On Tuesday, Romania's DIICOT anti-organised crime prosecuting unit notified the Tate brothers that the human trafficking charge had changed to trafficking in continued form, a DIICOT spokesperson said. Also on Tuesday, DIICOT prosecutors said they had opened a separate criminal investigation against a Romanian man close to the Tate brothers on allegations of human trafficking and forming a criminal crime group to sexually exploit seven women.

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Persons: Andrew Tate, Tristan, Tate, Romania's, DIICOT, Vlad Obuzic, Luiza Ilie, Ed Osmond Organizations: Prosecutors, Tate, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Bucharest, Romanian