Brazil launches probe into Musk for defying court order to block accounts on X
A scandal occurred after Elon Musk accused Judge Alexandri di Morais of violating the constitution by ordering that some accounts on the social network X be blocked
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 8. /TASS/. The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil has ordered that an investigation be launched into American billionaire and owner of the social network X Elon Musk in connection with his refusal to abide by a court order obliging him to limit or suspend some accounts on the social network, the G1 portal reported.
A scandal occurred after Musk accused Judge Alexandri di Morais of violating the constitution by ordering that some accounts on the social network X be blocked, adding that these requests "violate Brazilian law." The billionaire also called on the judge to resign and threatened to publish the court’s appeals demanding that accounts be blocked.
Di Morais, in turn, ordered an investigation into Musk for allegedly flouting the Brazilian justice system by using social networks to "spread disinformation and destabilize the institutions of a democratic rule of law." "Blatant obstruction of the Brazilian justice system, incitement to commit a crime, a public threat to disobey court orders and the platform's refusal to cooperate in the future are all facts that do not indicate respect for Brazil's sovereignty," di Morais said in the order, the text of which is cited by G1.
"Social networks are not a zone free from legal norms," di Morais added in capital letters in the decree, noting that the country's authorities will not tolerate "living in a society in which billionaires abroad control social networks and indulge in violating the rule of law, ignore court orders and threaten Brazilian agencies."
According to the portal, the Supreme Federal Court is threatening Mask with a fine of about $20,000 for each account that the social network illegally activates.