09/14/2024 – 7:11
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF), ordered the direct transfer of R$18.35 million from the accounts of Starlink and X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil to the federal government’s coffers. The funds were intended to pay fines imposed on the social network and Elon Musk’s satellite internet company. However, despite paying off the debts, the social network remains blocked in the country for failing to comply with other court orders.
The platform failed to comply with the blocking of profiles that disseminated criminal messages and messages attacking democracy and has not yet established legal representatives in the country, as required by law. As the platform has not yet adapted to the other requirements, it remains blocked in Brazil.
In the decision, released on Wednesday, the 11th, Moraes understood that Starlink is part of the same “de facto economic group” as X. The day after the decision, the banks Itaú and Citibank informed the Supreme Court that the amounts had been transferred.
With the payment made, the blocking of Starlink’s assets was canceled, since the amount transferred was sufficient to cover the companies’ debts to the Brazilian State. The unblocking order was sent to the Central Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Judiciary’s blocking systems.
Starlink accounts had been blocked since August 29, one day before X suspended its activities in the country. When the accounts were blocked, the internet company released a statement classifying the decision as “unconstitutional.”
Jurists heard by State They said that the way Moraes used to guarantee payment of the debts is exceptional in the legal world. According to the experts interviewed by the report, the Court can only charge a company the amount of the debt of another that belongs to the same owner if the existence of fraud is proven.
They explain that this occurs when a disregard of legal entity is established. X belongs to X Holdings Corp, while Starlink is linked to SpaceX, also owned by Musk.
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