Brazil seizes billionaire Elon Musk's money to pay fine
Sep 14, 2024
Brasilia [Brazil], September 14: Brazil's Supreme Court says a judge has ordered the transfer of about $3 million from billionaire Elon Musk 's companies to pay a fine for his social network X, which has been suspended in the country.
Last month, Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the closure of social network X in Brazil after Mr Musk refused to delete dozens of right-wing accounts and failed to appoint new legal representation in the country as requested.
The court said Mr Moraes had "determined the transfer to the state treasury of 18.35 million reais (£4.2 million) blocked in the accounts" of X and the satellite internet company Starlink, both of which are owned by Mr Musk.
Judge Moraes has clashed repeatedly with billionaire Musk after focusing on combating misinformation. He froze the assets of X and Starlink, which has been operating in Brazil since 2022, to ensure payment of fines imposed on X for failing to comply with court orders.
Mr Musk, who owns Tesla and SpaceX , reacted angrily, calling Mr Moraes "an evil dictator masquerading as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil".
Social network X, formerly Twitter, has more than 22 million users in Brazil. Mr Moraes also ruled that people who use "technological tricks" such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to access blocked websites could be fined up to $9,000.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva supported the ban, while his far-right predecessor, former President Jair Bolsonaro, criticized Mr Moraes.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
