Motivated by the relation between the Drinfeld double and central property (T) for quantum groups, given a rigid C*-tensor category C and a unitary half-braiding on an ind-object, we construct a *-representation of the fusion algebra of C. This allows us to present an alternative approach to recent results of Popa and Vaes, who defined C*-algebras of monoidal categories and introduced property (T) for them. As an example we analyze categories C of Hilbert bimodules over a II$_1$-factor. We show that in this case the Drinfeld center is monoidally equivalent to a category of Hilbert bimodules over another II$_1$-factor obtained by the Longo-Rehren construction. As an application, we obtain an alternative proof of the result of Popa and Vaes stating that property (T) for the category defined by an extremal finite index subfactor $N \subset M$ is equivalent to Popa's property (T) for the corresponding SE-inclusion of II$_1$-factors. In the last part of the paper we study M��ger's notion of weakly monoidally Morita equivalent categories and analyze the behavior of our constructions under the equivalence of the corresponding Drinfeld centers established by Schauenburg. In particular, we prove that property (T) is invariant under weak monoidal Morita equivalence.

v3: minor corrections, to appear in Comm. Math. Phys.; v2: 37 pages, with a new section; v1: 24 pages