Elon Musk’s social media platform X paid $5.2 million in fines after being banned by Brazil‘s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over accusations of disinformation, but mistakenly transferred these funds into the wrong account.
Justice Moraes confirmed that while the full amount had been received, it was not deposited in accordance with the court’s instructions. He directed the immediate redirection of the funds to the appropriate account, the AFP reported.
Before the suspension, X had 22 million users in Brazil.After weeks of inaction, X began to block certain accounts under investigation and requested to lift the ban on September 26. However, Moraes ruled that the company must first pay the pending fines before any reinstatement could occur.
Justice Moraes ordered the shutdown of X on August 31 after the platform failed to comply with court orders, including removing dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading misinformation and appointing a legal representative in Brazil as required by law.
This case began during Brazil’s 2022 presidential election campaign, when Moraes ordered the deactivation of accounts associated with the failed far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Tensions escalated in January 2023 after Bolsonaro supporters attacked federal buildings in Brasília following the instatement of his leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Musk who he previously called Moraes an “evil dictator” and likened to Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” series has recently toned down his comments on the Judge.
X had 22 million users in Brazil, its largest market in Latin America, before Moraes blocked it. The platform had hoped that payment of the penalties will settle the dispute, enabling it to resume services in the country.