Brazil seizes $3,3m (€3m) from Elon Musk's companies over court ruling

A judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered the seizure of about $3,3 (€3) million from the accounts of the Starlink system and platform X, owned by Elon Musk, due to fines imposed on the social media service, notes a statement from the Supreme Court.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes decided to transfer 7.2 million reais (€1.2 million) from the account of one of the largest social platforms, X (formerly Twitter). A similar decision was made regarding Starlink, from whose account nearly 11 million reais (€1.8 million) went to the state treasury.

After the payment of the full amount that was owed, the justice (de Moraes) considered there was no need to keep the bank accounts frozen and ordered the immediate unfreezing of bank accounts/financial assets – the court announced.

Some lawyers questioned De Moraes’s decision to block Starlink’s account due to fines imposed on X. Although both the social media platform and the satellite internet system belong to Elon Musk, they operate as separate companies, according to the AP agency.

The troubles of the X service in Brazil began when Judge de Moraes demanded the removal of accounts suspected of spreading disinformation, including many linked to former President Jair Bolsonaro supporters. Musk hinted that he would not comply with this order.

Additionally, de Moraes ordered the blocking of X in Brazil from 31 August, explaining this by the fact that Musk refused to appoint a legal representative for the company in that country, which is contrary to local law. According to the company, Judge de Moraes wants a local representative to be appointed to have leverage in the form of the threat of their arrest.