Brazilian Supreme Court judge seizes millions from Musk's Starlink accounts to pay for X fines

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has taken a new step in his ongoing legal feud with Elon Musk, seizing millions from one of his companies to pay for fines imposed on X, the social media platform he owns.

Concretely, judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered that some $3.3 million be transferred from two accounts, one of which belongs to Starlink, the satellite-based internet service. The accounts were unfrozen after the amount was deducted.

"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 Brazilian Supreme Court said.

Legal analysts consulted by The Associated Press disagreed with the court's decision, saying both companies are different and one should not be held accountable for the debt of another. De Moraes, however, argued they are both part of a "de facto economic group."

De Moraes is the same judge who spearheaded the Supreme Court's blocking of X (formerly Twitter) in late August after the social media company failed to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.

De Moraes had compelled Musk to appoint a legal representative following his decision to cease the company's operations in the country amid an ongoing feud over what constitutes acceptable freedom of speech in the platform. X has been down in Brazil ever since.

De Moraes has said the platform will continue to be blocked until the company complies with the request. Musk, on his end, has been using the platform to repeatedly blast de Moraes, accusing him of being a dictator and abusing his powers.

The conflict has been going on for years and began when the Brazilian Supreme Court took action against several accounts tied to the country's right-wing movement, particularly those linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro.

De Moraes ordered accounts be blocked for attempting to discredit the country's electoral system and process, part of Bolsonaro's effort to overturn the 2022 presidential elections he ultimately lost against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

X did not fully comply with the orders, leading the judge to intensify the pressure on the platform. Musk is also being investigated in the country for defying the court's orders, alleged obstruction of justice.

Tens of thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro marched in Sao Paulo last Saturday to mark the country's Independence Day, seeking among other things that X be restored, claiming it is part of political persecution against them and their political leaders.