Brazil's top judge lifted the freeze on the bank accounts of Elon Musk's companies, Starlink and X (formerly Twitter), after fines totalling over $3 million were paid. The penalties are part of an ongoing conflict between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes over misinformation and freedom of speech.
Moraes, who Musk has criticized as acting like a "dictator," had previously suspended X in Brazil after the platform failed to appoint a legal representative by a court-imposed deadline. While the financial restrictions were lifted, the suspension of X remains in place due to the company’s failure to comply with legal requirements in Brazil.
The tensions escalated in August when Moraes warned Musk that X could be banned nationwide. The Brazilian Supreme Court upheld this ruling earlier in September. Along with suspending X, Moraes had frozen Starlink’s finances, preventing the satellite internet provider from conducting transactions in Brazil.
Earlier this year, Moraes launched an investigation into Musk for obstruction of justice. This followed Musk’s refusal to comply with a court order to block specific accounts on X that were spreading misinformation. Despite the lifted financial sanctions, the legal and operational issues for Musk’s companies in Brazil continue.
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