Brazil’s supreme court delays X service restoration over incorrect fine payment

Brazil’s Supreme Court has delayed its decision on whether to allow social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, to resume services in the country.

This comes after the court discovered that X’s lawyers made a critical error – paying pending fines to the wrong bank.

The payment of the fines was the final requirement for X to operate again in Brazil, a crucial market for the company.

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X, formerly called Twitter, has been suspended since late August due to non-compliance with court orders related to hate speech moderation and failure to appoint a legal representative in Brazil.

In a recent twist, X’s lawyers submitted a fresh request to restore services, claiming all pending fines had been paid. However, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed the payment to be transferred to the correct bank. He also stipulated that Brazil’s prosecutor general will review X’s recent requests after the fines are settled.

Following this decision, X’s lawyers reiterated their request to resume operations, disputing the claim of incorrect payment and arguing against the need for the prosecutor general’s consultation before lifting the ban.

On September 26, X asked the court to resume services after complying with the court’s orders, including blocking certain accounts under investigation.

In response, Justice Moraes ruled that X needed to pay approximately $5 million in pending fines before the suspension could be lifted.

X’s lawyers later informed the Supreme Court that the company had paid 28.6 million reais ($5.24 million) in fines, as reported by Reuters.